Angel
by Walker Witch
Summary: Daryl is all alone. After an attack on Alexandria by The Saviors, everyone is gone...except him. His strong will to survive is the only thing that keeps him alive. One day, he stumbles into an old run down shack deep in the Virginian woods bleeding out from multiple knife wounds. He will die unless the Angel that finds him can save him. Maybe they can save each other.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

 **Jessie**

The moans. I was so tired of hearing them all the time. Even in the upstairs room I was hiding in I could still hear them. I had made it into this house unscathed by sheer luck. It started as just another day in another deserted neighborhood scavenging house to house for anything I could use. Food and weapons were top on my list, but I took batteries, matches, and clothes when I could find them too.

I had left a house this morning after searching it not realizing that a herd of the dead had practically taken over the neighborhood. I'm tired of living this life, and it's making me careless. I have only myself to count on, and today I almost didn't make it. If the front door of this house hadn't been unlocked, I'd be bits of blood and bone on the front step. With the size of this herd, there wouldn't even have been enough left for me to turn. Being eaten alive was not how I wanted to die. At least not today.

The room I was currently hiding out in was the furthest room away from the front door. The less they could sense me, the faster they would move on. Or at least I hoped so because I couldn't stay in this house forever. I always had the need to keep moving. If I stayed in one place too long, I felt vulnerable. If the dead didn't find me, it was the living. I was done with both. The few good people left in this world always ended up dead, and the evil ones did everything they could to make you want to be dead. I didn't trust anyone anymore. I barely trusted myself as it was.

I lay down on the bed to only close my tired eyes. That's all I wanted to do. As long as the furniture I had pushed in front of the door held, the roamers, geeks, biters, monsters or whatever you wanted to call them would be blocked from getting inside. And as long as they were outside, the living would stay away too. That meant I could rest for a little bit. I needed to. Too many sleepless nights with cat naps interspersed to keep me from keeling over in exhaustion was finally taking its toll.

Except my exhaustion did catch up with me. My dozing turned into a solid almost twenty-four hours of sleep. I needed it, but I had left myself exposed to the dangers I had constant nightmares about. What if the dead had managed to get inside this house? I would have been trapped in this small bedroom.

Fresh meat for the roamers.

I popped up off the bed and looked out one of the small windows. I was able to breathe a sigh of relief as the street was empty. They had finally moved on. Most likely there would be a couple of stragglers around, but that was nothing I couldn't handle.

My backpack was next to the bed, so I picked it up and placed it on my lap as I sat down I was about to look for something to eat when a sound in the distance got my attention. It was a car engine, and as it got closer, I realized it was more than one.

Carefully, I pushed the tattered curtains aside and saw two vehicles drive down the street and stop in the middle of the road just a house or so down from where I was. " _Damn it_ ," I muttered. I had escaped the dead to now to have to deal with the living.

I had to know what I was dealing with before I could plan my escape. There were multiple houses on this street, so the chance of them coming here first was slim. I watched as five men exited the cars. They looked like I wouldn't want to meet any of them in an alley, be it dark or not. The exact type of people I stayed away from...dangerous and deadly. I immediately knew that if they found me, I was going to wish I was dead. They split up and went into the two houses across the street, but I knew there was nothing worth scavenging in them as I had been through them already. It wouldn't take them long to figure that out and move along to the next house. Which could be this one.

Quickly, I redid my long ponytail twisting it into a bun. That way no one could grab it. My pack went on my back, and I slipped the gun into the holster on my leg. There were only six bullets left, and I needed to use it only when I had no other choice. I pulled the knife out of the sheath at my waist and started to head downstairs, but I stopped at a small mirror that was hanging in the hallway. I saw tired eyes looking back at me. There was a smudge of dirt on my face that I wiped away with my hand. How long it had been there, I had no idea. I had been pretty once, or so people had told me. The days of dressing up like a girly girl were long over. This world had taken away everything from me, including feeling like a woman.

I could fight like a man now. The days of letting a guy open the car door for me were long gone. I didn't need anyone for anything anymore. The only time I felt female again was when I met men whose looks told me exactly what they wanted. No law, no order, and no rules existed any longer so too many men thought they could take what I wasn't offering them. Many had tried to take my body, few had succeeded.

"Jessie," I said to the reflection in the mirror. "You've done the best you could. Don't dwell on the past, you've got bigger problems now to worry about. So get your ass moving, girl."

I gripped the knife in my hand harder and headed downstairs. A quick look outside through a front window showed they hadn't emerged yet. I quietly moved into the kitchen and unlatched the back door. It closed gently behind me as I headed into the woods that bordered the back of the house. I couldn't tell how deep they were, but they would offer me the cover I needed for my escape.

I kept pushing through the dense undergrowth until I was deep in the forest. The trees rose high above me, and it was easier to make my way now. Where was I going? I had no idea. I rarely did. But I knew I was going to need a place to stay for the night. I could stay awake all night, I had done it many times in the past, but I was safer behind four walls.

From what I could tell from the sun, I had only a few hours of daylight left. I had already been walking for a couple of hours having with no real direction in mind. After tripping over a branch that was hidden under a bunch of dead leaves and having the wind practically knocked out of me, I walked a bit further and thought I saw a break in the trees. It was lighter ahead. As I got closer, I could see there was a clearing. I kept myself as hidden as much as possible as I tried to see what was there.

I was surprised to see a small shack in the center. It was definitely old and run down. The ground was with covered tall grass except right outside the house and where debris from the trees had fallen. I just couldn't tell if anyone was living there now as there were no recent signs of life.

The rock I threw against the side of the building made a loud thud against the wood, but I didn't see any signs of life. That didn't mean shit. I slipped the knife back into the sheath on my belt and pulled out my Glock 19. Out of the sixteen bullets, it could hold I had only a few left. However, if I was going to get shot at I needed to be able to shoot back.

I made my way to the back of the shack and saw there weren't any windows there. I ran out of the trees and pressed my back against the old wood. Slowly, I made my way to the left side and tried to look through the dirty window, but I couldn't see much. A few more steps had me able to peek around the corner to the front. Still nothing.

The heart in my chest was beating wildly as I moved closer to the front door. It looked like it was ajar as I cautiously approached it. Another step and I saw a pair of boots sticking out of the doorway that were attached to a body. I didn't know if it was alive or dead alive.

It didn't seem like anyone else was here, so I lightly kicked a boot to see what would happen. Nothing. Not a growl or groan. Definitely not a geek or at least not yet. Feeling like I was in control for at least the moment, I took a better look at the body.

It was a definitely a guy. His pants were worn and dirty but had ties around the ankles to keep them snug to him. He was definitely someone who understood the outdoors. He was lying on his back either unconscious or dead. His bare arms were covered in blood from long thin wounds, but what got my attention was the fresh blood puddling by his side. I could tell he hadn't been here long. I squatted down and took a good hard look at him. That's when I realized that he was still breathing. Make that barely breathing by the very slow rise of his ribcage, but breathing like a live human.

A part of me told myself to run and let this guy live or die on his own. But the little kernel of hope I still had for humanity that was buried way deep down emerged and told me he needed my help. "Well, buddy. It looks like your day has really sucked so far, but with any luck, I hope to help you. So if you can hear me at all, that's all I'm trying to do is help. So don't kill me, okay?"

I stepped into the dark shack and notice the thick layer of dust that lay on everything. Just walking into the room sent swirls of the tiny particles into the air. At some point, I was going to have to open a window and clean the shack. The dust made it difficult to breathe.

Turning my attention back to the guy on the floor I tried to figure out what I needed to do. I grabbed him under his arms, and with all my strength I pulled him further into the room. I wanted to close the door as a precaution, but I need the light that with it open came into the space in order to see. He had some sort of wound on his side that was causing the majority of the bleeding. I just hoped it wasn't a walker bite. That would prove deadly. I quickly looked around the room for something to use to press against the wound to try to stop the blood. I saw an old trunk in the corner and ran over to open it. Bingo!

I grabbed a towel out of it and went back and knelt next to my unconscious stranger. I unbuttoned his shirt and moved it to the side. I pressed the cloth against the bleeding gash. It looked like a knife wound. Whatever had happened to this guy was pretty bad.

While I held my makeshift bandage in place, I took a better look at him. His hair was shaggy, and a bit long, but so was most everyone's now. I used my left hand to brush it out of his face. I needed to see what he looked like. The swelling and bruises didn't hide the fact that he was a decent looking guy. He was so messed up right now, that it was hard to tell too much more. If I could get the bleeding from the knife wound to stop, then he may stand a chance. He was going to need to be stitched up.

There were a needle and thread in my pack. It had served many purposes over these past months for me from repairing ripped clothing to closing a stubborn injury. I just wished the room wasn't so dirty. Just as I was going to get up to get my pack, I noticed his chest. How I didn't see it before I have no idea. Scars covered him. Old ones by the looks of them, but some were very thin lines, but a few others were bigger and thicker. Someone a long time ago had practically tortured him. Who the hell was this guy?

"Okay buddy, here's the plan. I'm going to get my pack and the supplies in there that we need. I'm pretty sure the wound in your side is going to need to be stitched up. I'll be back in a minute with everything, so don't die on me in the meantime."

I got up and left my bleeding stranger on the floor. As I unzipped the backpack, I looked over at the trunk that I had gotten the towel from. Did it hold anything that could help me save this guy? I wouldn't know unless I looked through it, right? So, I walked over to it and knelt on the dirty floor. Lifting the lid, I surveyed the contents of the trunk. I saw a couple more towels and what looked like a set of sheets for the bed, plus a few blankets. Digging past the linens, I found a few men's shirts and a pair of pants. Then I started to find the good stuff. A bar of soap, a comb, and a small sewing kit caught my eye. These were all much needed, so I pulled them out. Further down there were a couple of books, but hidden under a false bottom, I found a treasure trove. Why the owner left this here, I had no idea, but now they were mine.

Two handguns with extra boxes of ammunition.

They would keep me alive in this crazy world. Next, to the boxes of ammo, I saw a plain box. I took it out and sat on the wood floor. I lifted the lid off the box and saw it was filled with basic medical supplies. Bandaids, gauze pads, tape, antibiotic ointment and alcohol wipes. I needed this for the guy I was trying to save.

I took the box, and with the needle and thread from my pack, it was time to sew up my unconscious stranger. I grabbed a well-worn towel from the trunk and once again knelt next to him. I spread out everything I needed on the towel. After threading the needle, I wiped the thread with two alcohol wipes to try to disinfect it. Now it was time to remove the blood-soaked towel that was covering the wound.

The days of me being squeamish about blood and gore were long gone. I had seen way too much these past years to have that bother me anymore. The gash in his right side was about six inches long. It looked like it had come from someone swiping at him with a knife rather than a direct stab wound. This gave him a better chance as it didn't look like it punctured into the abdominal cavity. If it had, he could have internal bleeding that was well beyond my limited abilities.

I used a few more alcohol wipes to clean the area around the long incision. The bleeding had slowed, but it hadn't stopped. "I'm sorry…God, wish I knew your name. I need to call you something, so, for now, you will be…Travis. So, Travis, this is gonna hurt, and I apologize for that in advance. I think, however, in case you wake up, I'm taking this enormously big knife on your belt and keeping it safely away from your for now." I looked down at his incredibly pale face for a second before I began. "Here goes nothing," I muttered as the needle punctured the skin for the first time.

The whole time I sewed him up, he didn't move or let out a single groan. I started to feel like he may have other injuries that I couldn't see or fix. At least bleeding to death was no longer going to happen. After spreading the antibiotic ointment on the closed wound and bandaging it up, I realized I couldn't just leave him in the middle of the floor. He was too big to lift onto the narrow bed the room had so I was going to have to make him as comfortable as I could on the floor.

I pulled the blanket out of the trunk and laid it next to him. Then with all the strength, I could muster, I rolled him onto his good side. I push the blanket under him as best I could. Before I lowered him back down, I decided his shirt needed to come off. I could see that the sleeves had been cut off a long time ago. I worked to get his arm out of the armhole and then tucked that also under him so I could pull it out from the other side. That's when I noticed the scars on his chest were also all over his back. There was also blurred ink from an old tattoo, but my eyes mainly saw the crisscrossing of whip marks on his back. Like the ones on his chest, they were old and long healed. My poor Travis.

Slowly and carefully, I laid him down onto his back. Rolling him onto his injured side was going to be quick. I didn't want to mess up my stitches and have to do it again. He had been through enough as it was. I moved to his other side and gently rolled him partially over. One hand held him in place as well as I could, while the other quickly pulled the clothes out from under him along with the blanket. I had him lying on his back in just a few seconds.

Now I stood up and grabbed the rolled up blanket up by his shoulders and pulled. And pulled. He was dead weight, so it took me a little while to get him closer to the bed and out of the way. Then I took the old pillow from the bed and walked outside. I beat the dust off of it as best I could, before returning inside and putting it under his head.

Suddenly, I was exhausted. There was nothing more I could do for him at this point. My only concern was if he died and came back. I needed to know if that happened right away. My life depended on it. I hadn't planned on falling asleep tonight, but look what happened last night. I wasn't going to sleep then either, and I slept for almost a whole day. I looked around the room trying to come up with an idea. Since I hadn't even checked out the kitchen area yet, I headed to the counter. It was getting dark, so it was hard to see, but I looked over at the open shelves and saw a small ball of twine. It would have to do.

I tied his hands together in front of him and then his feet. Then I tied the twine around his ankles to a wooden chair. I placed a mason jar from the kitchen on the seat. If he moved, I would hear the jar break. It was the best I could do with what I had.

Now I had to secure the shack. The front door had an old slide bolt on the inside, so I threw that across after I closed the door. There wasn't really any furniture I could move in front of it, so I just put the other wooden chair under the tarnished doorknob.

"Jessie, this has been one interesting day," I said to myself as I headed for the small bed near the back wall. I flipped over the dusty blanket that was covering it as I was too tired to attempt anything else. This day had been completely emotionally draining. I laid out my assorted weapons next me for easy access and stretched out on my back.

I took another look at Travis and was satisfied that he was still breathing. With the intention of solely resting my eyes, I lightly closed them just for a minute. The exhaustion and stress won out…again. I fell into a deep exhausted sleep almost immediately.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

 **Daryl**

The first thing I realized when I woke up was that every single fucking muscle and bone in my body was killing me. If it wasn't a sharp stabbing pain it was a strong, steady throb. But that made me realize one thing…I wasn't dead.

Before I even attempted to open my eyes, as even they hurt, I tried to remember what the hell had happened. Pieces started to come back to me. I had gotten jumped by a couple of assholes that wanted what I had. They had to be really desperate because I didn't have shit. Being on my own had started to get to me, and I let my guard drop at the wrong time. I was camping in the woods, and they came out of nowhere. Even though I was hurting like a bitch, I got out of it alive. They didn't. After making sure they wouldn't turn and come after me a second time, I took off through the backwoods that had become my home.

The problem was that with each step I took it became harder and harder to put one foot ahead of the other. They had cut me up pretty good, but a few good whacks to my head had me seeing double. So much for Carol calling me hard headed all those years. "Fuck," mumbled under my breath. I tried not to think about her or any of them at all. It hurt too much.

I forced my eyes to open just a little bit and realized I recognized absolutely nothing about where I was. " _It's a shack_ ," I thought to myself. Nothing about the rough walls and plank ceiling looked familiar at all. " _How the fuck did I get here_?"

My left eye wouldn't open all the way, so I figured it was swollen from the fight. My right let me see more, but I couldn't tell if I was alone here or not. I went to sit up, and a sharp stabbing pain shot through me. "Fuck!" I groaned as I fell back. That hurt really fucking bad.

"Travis, you're awake?"

I grabbed for the knife at my belt, but it was gone. I was so fucked. Well, maybe not as bad as I thought as a woman walked into my line of sight. I took a deep breath, but even that hurt badly enough for me to consider I may have broken ribs. Damn, I probably couldn't even fight off a toddler like Judith right now. Fuck again. Why did everything come back to them?

A woman crouched down near me, but far enough away that grabbing her wouldn't be easy. She was either smart or lucky. I didn't know enough yet to figure out which. When I turned my head to look up at her the sunlight coming in behind her made her look like she was glowing. If I didn't know better, I would have thought I was dead, and she was an angel looking down at me.

"How are you doing?" she asked with a slight smile.

I put my hand up to block the sun. "Where am I? Who the hell are you?" I growled at her. I was never known for my manners. Being raised by an asshole of a man who was my supposedly my father did that to a guy. Plus, I didn't give a shit.

"Where we are, I really have no idea. This is a rundown shack in the middle of the forest that I came across by accident. I found you here and did the best I could to patch you up, Travis."

Travis? I looked at her with my one good eye and realized she was much prettier than I thought. Her smile was soft and welcoming. She made me want to relax my guard with that smile, but I couldn't. My life was at stake. I had never seen hair as long as she had. It was pure black and even though it was in a ponytail that hung over her shoulder, and with her squatting near me it almost hit the floor. I had a strange desire to run my fingers through it. Who she was, I had no idea. But she affected me like no other had. I knew I had to stop that immediately. I was a loner, who did better alone. People…women had no place in my life anymore. None. Not even Angels.

I gave her one of my patented stares that usually had people backing away from me pretty damn quick, but she didn't budge. "Who the fuck is Travis?"

"You are," she apologized. "I didn't know your name, so I gave you one."

"Travis?" I said rolling my eyes. What a lame ass name. I took a deep breath and was rewarded with another shooting pain on my right side. Yep, I broke some ribs. I tried not to groan, but why the fuck did everything have to hurt? Closing my eyes, make that eye since the left was practically closed, to begin with, I rode out the pain flowing through me. I had figured out that if she wanted to hurt me, I'd be dead already so closing my eyes wouldn't kill me. But this damn pain just may.

"So?" she asked.

"So what?" I growled back. I knew I was being an ass, but frankly, I didn't give a damn.

"What is your name? If you don't want me to call you Travis, I need a name."

"Daryl," I muttered. This time when I opened my eye I saw her much clearer.

"Wish we met under better circumstances, but I'm Jessie."

The name suited her. Don't know why but it just did. Suddenly, I felt too vulnerable lying on the floor this way. It wasn't coming from her, but just from years of always having to be alert. Flat on my back, without any weapons, ain't my idea of being safe. I had to get up. "Can you help me sit up? Then tell me what you know."

Her face got serious and took on an entirely different look. "I will, but know that if you try anything, I'll slit your throat. Got it?"

I didn't doubt that for a second. It was the only way to survive these days. I had taken more lives than I could count. Never would've done that before all this shit went down. Never thought I could, but when it's the only way to survive, I don't have any choice.

"Listen, I can't even sit up on my fucking own. I ain't gonna try nuthin'. I just don't want to be laying down no more. Okay?" She had every right to say that to me. She don't know me at all. But if she did, she'd know I don't hurt women. If one was trying to kill me is a 'nuther story, but I ain't gonna take advantage of her. Not my style.

Her eyes bore into mine for a long time. It was like she was trying to make up her mind about me. Then finally I saw her face relax a bit and she moved closer. "Alright, but let me do most of the work. I don't want you ripping those stitches."

Wait. What did she say? "Stitches? Where?" I moved the sheet that was covering me and saw I was bare-chested. First, my eyes hit the scars that were always there and then traveled past to the bloodstained bandage. Shit, I was worse off than I thought.

I felt her hand rest on my arm, and our eyes immediately met again. God, she had fuckin' incredible eyes. They were almost a purple, and I had never seen anything like them before.

"Hold up," she said. "Let's change the bandage first, and then we can get you up. Okay?"

I nodded my head. Jessie gave my arm a squeeze before she stood up and headed somewhere to get the supplies. I wondered where she got the medical stuff from in the first place. When you lived on the run, most people carried only the bare essentials like food, water, and weapons. Wait, weapons? Where was my crossbow?

"Hey, where'd ya put my crossbow?"

"What crossbow?" Jessie asked as she came back to my side with an old box. "You didn't have a crossbow with you when I found you."

"Fuck! You sure?" I practically shouted at her. That crossbow was as much a part of me as my arm was. It was me. I had lost it too many times as it was. I had nothing else to defend myself with besides my knives. I needed my crossbow to survive.

Jessie put her hand on my shoulder to keep me down. "Daryl, take it easy. Let me change the bandage and then help you up. After that, we can figure out where it may be. Okay? I'm trying to help you, but you sure aren't making it easy?"

I hated when people were right, and my stubbornness got in the way. "Git to it." But instead of touching the bandage, she just raised her eyebrows at me and sat back on her heels staring at me. "Well, what you waitin' for?" Typical pain in the ass woman.

Oh fuck, she wasn't waiting for that was she? I'm in fuckin' pain and in a really bad mood and can't she give me a goddamn break? I am not in the mood for this bullshit. My stare was matching hers second for second. I don't give in. I don't break. Ask Negan. Who are you…Daryl. Always Daryl.

Then for some unknown reason, I closed my eyes. I'll blame it on the constant throbbing in my head, but I was still trying to understand how this strange woman found me and stitched up the slice from the knife? Damn, I was one lucky son of a bitch.

When I met her eyes again, I didn't apologize but instead gave in to what she was waiting for. "Please…git with it."

I saw the smirk appear on her face. She didn't say anything as she took the bandage off, but I saw that smirk. I liked that she stood up to me in a silent protest. Respect the shit outta that.

I didn't say a word as Jessie ripped the last of the tape of me and took half the hair on my body with it. I looked down at the cut and remembered when that asshole sliced me. He got what was coming to him, by an even bigger slice across his throat. It was three on one, but I was the only one to make it out alive. "Still bleeding," I said to Jessie. "But nice stitch work." That earned me a smile.

What's another scar? My body was full of them, but I just wasn't used to other people seeing them. My old man had fucked up my back and chest pretty good. I had slash-like scars all over me. I swear that belt he used hurt worse as I got older. When Merle ran off, I was the only target left for his drunken anger. Anything would set him off from missing food in the fridge to the damn weather. I hid from him as much as I could, but sometimes he'd catch me off guard, and I'd end up missing school for a couple of days. As soon as I was old enough, I hightailed it outta there and never looked back. When the bastard died, me and Merle got shit faced drunk celebrating.

I could never forget it. I lived with the reminders of my fucked up childhood my whole life. If seeing the scars every day didn't do it, my head never lets me forget. Even now, with me being somewhere in my forties…I lost count since the world went to shit, I still heard his voice calling me a loser, a piece of shit that was never going to amount to anything, and any number of insults he could fire out of his drunk ass mouth. Hearing that day after day messes with a kid's head. Big time. Yeah, I was still fucked up from it.

I felt a tug on my skin and turned my attention back to Jessie. I saw the wound was barely seeping now and knew it would close soon. She was rubbing some sort of ointment on it, but as far there wasn't any sign of infection from what I could see. "Where'd you get the medical supplies from?"

"Believe it or not, here in the shack. I found an old trunk was an unexpected gold mine."

"Like what?" She had my curiosity way up, but I could tell that she was trying to figure out what to say to me. She said too much and now regretted it. She had found something good…something important, and I needed to know what it was. But when she got up and didn't say anything, I pushed her for more. "What did you find? C'mon, you started this. Guns? Ammo? I bet that's what it was."

I watched her face as she kneeled next to me with a wet rag. When she wouldn't meet my eyes, I knew I was right. I could also see that she was kicking herself for saying anything. A gun meant survival, and that meant living another day or two. Maybe more.

Jessie didn't say nuthin' as she wiped the blood off my skin. I watched her apply a bandage to my side with steady, sure hands. She had definitely done this before. Finally, she looked at me with those damn eyes of hers. I felt the corner of my mouth lift up a bit. Damn, I felt like shit, but she almost had me smiling.

"Alright. I found two handguns and a couple boxes of ammo," she admitted. "Whoever lived here left in a hurry and never came back. There's canned food in the kitchen and clothes and linens in the trunk over against the wall. That's where I found the guns and a makeshift first aid kit. There was a thick layer of dust on everywhere, but while I was waiting for you to wake up, I wiped everything down. There's a water pump in the kitchen that still works."

"The guy that built this wanted to be far away from people. This is in the middle of nowhere." This is the exact type of place that I would want. "Help me sit up, would ya?"

"Sure," Jessie said. "Let me push you up from behind."

"I ain't no baby," I muttered.

"Humor me. I don't want you to rip those stitches. It's not something that I enjoy doing."

Fine. I'd let her baby me. It may be an insult to my manhood, but I didn't want her having to stitch me up again. I was glad I was passed out the first time.

I got up on my elbows, and Jessie snuck in behind me. She got me to a sitting position without too much pain. My head was spinning so I sat there a few minutes waiting for it to clear. Now, I wanted to stand. Of course, Jessie thought I was pushing it, but a few moments later I was standing. Well, make that swaying as my head spun like a motherfuckin' top. That's when she quickly pushed me towards the only bed in the room, and I sat down. Those fuckers had given me a concussion that was screwing with me. I can't fight if I can't stay conscious or if I see two of everything. Cause right now there were two Jessie's staring at me.

"Fuck," I mumbled under my breath, but apparently it was loud enough for her to hear.

"What's wrong? Are you in pain?"

I was, my whole body hurt like hell, but it was my head that had me worried. "Yeah, but my head is spinning, so I'm dizzy as shit. Plus, now…you got a twin sister next to ya."

"Oh hell. It's bad enough with one of me, believe me, you don't want two."

I wanted to laugh at her comment, but instead, I closed my eyes to try to stop the spinning. Maybe standing up was a bit too much, but I had to get off the floor. I vaguely heard rustling going on in the room as I tried to get my bearing, but that wasn't happening. "Gotta lie down," I told her.

"Wait! I have an idea." I heard her doing something next to me, but I kept my eyes closed. "Okay, I put some blankets down behind you so that you won't be lying flat. I think it's better that you are raised up a bit." Whatever she thought was fine with me, all I knew was that I needed to lie down and fast. I felt Jessie's hand on me as I eased myself down onto the bed. Once I was lying down, I felt the bed dip next to me. She must have sat down.

After a few minutes, I felt the spinning slow down, and I opened my good eye. "Thanks," I whispered as I started to fall asleep. I was wide awake one minute and exhausted the next. I knew my body needed to heal and as long Jessie was here I was okay to sleep. I couldn't believe I was trusting a total stranger with my life. But I was, and I did.

The last thing I remember as I fell asleep was her saying, "I got your back, Daryl." I was just glad that someone did. I was tired of doing it alone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

 **Jessie**

Crossbow. His damn stupid crossbow.

Here I am wandering by myself through the eerily quiet woods looking for Daryl's crossbow. He had no recollection of when he might have dropped it, but he knew he had it when he abandoned his camp after those men attacked it. This was like looking for the needle in the proverbial haystack. But I had promised him I would look, so here I was searching the ground for it, and so far I had found nothing.

The good thing was we had figured out what direction he had wandered in from when he found the shack. Daryl could barely walk without groaning in pain, but he wanted to come search with me. That was not going to be an option. No damn way. He yelled…I yelled, but I won. Don't think he liked that much, but I proved I could be just as stubborn as he was. Daryl was in no condition to be out here. He couldn't defend himself, and it was going to be better if I just had to worry about myself. I was used to it being just me anyway.

As I walked down this overgrown narrow path, I was thinking about him. How could I not? Daryl was an interesting guy that I was still trying to figure out. Neither one of us is too talkative when it comes down to what happened and where we came from. I can tell he's been on his own for a while, just like me. He prefers to camp in the woods, and I was definitely more of a breaking-into-a-house-and-spending-the-night type of girl. He could sleep anywhere, while the comfort of a bed, sofa or even the carpet was better than the hard ground. Except that's where I slept last night.

The shack had only one tiny bed and Daryl had passed out on that. I curled up on a blanket on the hard floor and caught a few minutes here and there. The floor sucked. I was going to have to figure out something else for tonight.

Even though the bed was small, I was hoping that maybe Daryl would let me share with him. We'd be crowded, but that would be a helluva lot better than the floor. The odd thing was, I trusted Daryl. For a guy, that I had only met the day before and he had been unconscious for a lot of the time, this was odd for me to trust someone this easily. It wasn't like he was one of those types of people that put you instantly at ease because he never smiled. He growled a lot and sneered at me, but weirdly enough that made me smile at him. He was unique, and I liked that. Plus, he was easy on the eyes.

Just before I left, I was letting him know my plans. I was only going to search for a couple of hours before heading back. There was no way I was going to get caught out in the woods alone after dark. I'd rather play it safe. Daryl might be comfortable with that, but I sure wasn't. I turned to leave, and he grabbed my arm. "Be careful," he said in that deep raspy voice he had. "And thanks."

Instinctively, I reached up and moved his long bangs out of his eyes. It was an intimate thing do, and I definitely didn't think about it before doing it. I just did it. His blue eyes locked on mine and I saw him visually relax when I smiled at him. "I will. I'll be back in a couple of hours, but hopefully sooner with the crossbow."

So here I was following what were his tracks, or at least what I hoped was his. The narrow path that I was following was largely undisturbed and fairly overgrown, but I could just make out the signs that someone had stumbled through here recently. Daryl had helped show me what to look for, and that was a helpful skill to have. I was definitely a novice at this, but I knew more than I did an hour ago.

As I scanned the ground, I was also looking at any area that it could have fallen to. I was guessing, make that hoping that as he got weaker it simply slipped out of his hand and he didn't realize it. That he made it this far as beat up and cut as much as he was surprised me. Daryl was tough, there's no doubt about that.

I was pretty damn tough myself. I had to be to survive as a female alone in this world. All I had was me.

I held my knife at the ready in my hand as I walked further into the forest. I had one of the guns tucked in the back of my pants and Daryl had the other. I couldn't leave him with only his knives to defend himself. It could be human or dead, but if someone or something came into the shack, he needed to be able to take them out. I was worried about him. His injuries were still so new and debilitating that leaving him alone I wasn't sure was such a good idea. But he was anxious to get the crossbow back, so that's why I was out here scouring the ground for it.

As deep as we were in the woods, signs of the dead were practically non-existent. After I escaped out of the house to avoid detection from those men, I had encountered quite a few. One or two together, then a couple small packs of less than six. I either killed them or was able to avoid them, but as I went deeper, they simply weren't around. I still hadn't seen any today, which was a miracle.

I also had no idea where we actually were. I'd have to remember to ask Daryl if he knew when I got back.

It had felt like I was walking for hours. The heat of the day was sweltering. My shirt was soaked with sweat, and I had to keep wiping my hand on my jeans to dry it off. I was deciding if it was time for me to turn around when something caught my eye up ahead. The sun that was filtering through the trees bounced off an object on the ground that had caught my attention. I sped up, and there it was just lying in the middle of the path.

Daryl's crossbow.

Oh, my God, I had actually found it. I reached down and picked it up. "Damn, this thing is heavy," I said out loud. "No wonder his arms are so muscular." I was excited to get back and give it back to him, but before I did, I took a quick break. I ate some stale crackers and took a long swallow of water to wash them down. Then I threw the strap of the crossbow over my head, and the heavy weapon rested securely on my back. It was time to head back to Daryl.

Since I was no longer walking slow scouting the area, the trip back was definitely faster. I could finally see where the trees opened up for the small meadow that housed our shack. I stopped dead in my tracks. When had it become "our" shack? There was no "us" with Daryl and me. Sure, I found him attractive even though he was banged up pretty good. I laughed at myself. Maybe I had been without a guy too long. Daryl's face was bruised and battered from the assault on him. His one eye was swollen shut and he had a split lip, so he should never have appealed to me.

Not to mention, he's not a big talker. I'm still trying to figure out the grunts and the stares. Some could be just him, and some could be from the pain. I was finding him to be complicated, but he shouldn't be. And it was time for me to stop over analyzing him. He would make a good reliable partner to travel with if he wanted to. As much as I liked being on my own, it was getting to me.

I'll bring it up as we get closer to heading out. For the meantime, he had a lot of healing to do before we even considered leaving. As long as we weren't overrun, it looked like the shack was going to be home for a while.

.

 **Daryl**

.

I had no idea how long she was gone. Maybe a couple of hours. Maybe more. There was always the chance that Jessie wasn't coming back, be it her choice or someone else's, but I was pretty sure she'd head back here. I just didn't think that she'd bug out the first chance she got after taking the time to patch me up. She could, but my gut instinct didn't think so.

Jessie reminded me of Michonne and Maggie. She was tough and could hold her own, but wouldn't put up with any shit. I wanted to go with her, even though I knew I'd never last a mile and she got me to back down. Not easy to do with my stubborn redneck ass. But that's where it ended with her being like Michonne and Maggie. They were family to me…sisters. I wasn't feeling too sisterly about Jessie, and that confused me. I had no idea what it was about her that was different, but something was.

It had been a really long time since I was interested in a woman. Fuck, there was nothing wrong with me. I was as horny as the next guy, but I was concentrating on staying alive these days, not getting laid. If it got too much for me, I'd just find someplace isolated and jack off. I'm sure the group thought I was some sort of monk as all the other guys were getting it, but in truth, I had never found anyone that interested me.

Until now.

But I had more important shit to take care of then sticking it to Jessie. Like getting better. I couldn't take a deep breath without my ribs screaming in pain. I could only see out of one eye, and I had a six-inch gash in my side held together with thread like a damn dress. My arms looked like someone tried sharpening a knife on them as they were covered with slashes. All I could do was sit on this bed and wait and wait and wait.

I had put my shirt back on when I woke up. Most guys had no problem going shirtless all the time, but not me. I know she had seen the scars, but that didn't mean I was comfortable having them on display. Except the shirt was stiff with dried blood and the side I got sliced was in shreds. It was the only one I had since I had left I left Alexandria that night I traveled lightly. I was trying to figure out if it was worth washing it when the trunk caught my eye. Didn't Jessie say there were clothes in there too?

I opened the lid and started pawing through the stuff in there. I found a t-shirt and a dark green button-down shirt. I held it up and it if anything it was a little big, but that was okay with me. Since it was still warm outside, I used my knife to cut off the sleeves off the green shirt. The t-shirt would be for another day. I put it on knowing I looked better than I felt.

Now it was time to explore and see what little this piece of crap shack had. Basically, it was one large room with a small alcove for the kitchen. Besides the bed, there was a small square table with two chairs, the trunk, a few shelves, and an old fashion iron stove. All it needed was wood to heat the room, and you could also cook on top of it. How the hell, the guy ever got it out here was a fuckin' miracle.

The only running water was the hand pump in the kitchen. Water went into a waiting bucket, and that was it. If you had to go to the bathroom, you did it outside. Everything.

There were two books that I found on one of the shelves. One was a Bible, and the other was Gulliver's Travels. I tried to read but with only one eye and just not having the patience for it, I closed the book pretty quick. That left me absolutely nothing to do.

I didn't want to sit outside because I felt like a sitting duck. The trees would give cover to anyone that was approaching, while I would be an easy target. So I sat on the old bed, with my back up against the wall and closed my eyes. I wasn't going to sleep, but I was allowing myself to remember.

We were expecting something. Rick and I knew the Saviors were going to come at us again. But we didn't expect what happened. It was the middle of the night when they attacked Alexandria. They must have taken out the people on watch because no one sounded an alarm. One minute everyone is sleeping and the next people are screaming, and the houses were all on fire. Then as everyone was running out of the houses, they were trying to pick us off.

I got winged on my thigh by a bullet, but that was the worst of my injuries. We tried to fight, but we were severely outnumbered and outgunned. Bullets were flying, people were running, but mostly people were dying. I remember climbing over the back fence with the clothes I had on and my crossbow on my back. I never saw anyone from Alexandria again.

"Goddamn motherfuckin' Saviors!" I screamed as I threw the book across the room. They literally cost us everything. It was gone. All gone. And so was everyone I knew. I hated thinking about that night. Suddenly the walls of the shack started to close in on me, and I had to get outside. I tried to jump to my feet and was rewarded with a shooting pain not only in my side but throughout my whole body. The beating I took the day before was still messing with everything I did.

I stood still practically holding my breath as I waited for the pain to stop or at least become bearable. Once I recovered, I carefully made my way outside. I stood in the doorway listening to the sounds of the forest. The birds got quiet, and the chatter of the squirrels changed when danger or the unknown was present. Everything was good as far as I could tell. Nature was talking a mile a minute up in the trees.

I sat on a stump that was just outside the door. I had the gun in my hand and watched the trees for a while looking for signs of life, but saw none of the two-legged variety. Then I walked around the shack a few times trying to build up my endurance and walk through the pain. The stitches were already beginning to itch.

Then I suddenly heard the changes. The birds stopped, and the squirrels increased their chatter with high-pitched warnings. Someone was approaching. I hurried as fast as my aching body let me inside the shack. I couldn't tell what direction they were coming from, so I kept looking all over the best I could.

"Daryl, I'm coming in."

Jessie. She was back.

I opened the door and stepped out into the yard praying I'd see my crossbow. I watched the edge of the tree line waiting for her to show. I heard her coming through the brush and damn when she stepped through I realized two things. I was really glad to have her back, and she had found my fuckin' crossbow.

That was the first time in months that I smiled. Finally, something in my miserable existence was going right.

"Now that smile better be because you are happy to have me back, Daryl," Jessie joked.

"Sure," I told her. "Was just getting used to having you boss me around. I see you found it." I was itching to get my hands on the crossbow, but she still had the strap across her chest. The weight of the bow had the strap pulled tight between her tits, and for a second they were all I saw. Quickly, I got my head back thinking straight. This was not the time or the place to be staring at her body like it was a piece of meat.

"Where was it?" I asked hoping she hadn't noticed.

"Further than I expected. It was a couple hours down that path that at times was barely there. For you to not realize you didn't have it, meant you were in bad shape for a long time. I can't believe you made it as far as you did and I'm actually surprised that you're up and about today." Jessie started to take the crossbow off her back, and I quickly took it from her.

It felt like a piece of me was back. I had carried a crossbow almost the entire time since the world went to shit. Only for a brief period when Dwight had mine was I without one. Never got that one back, but this was the one I got from the Kingdom. It was my weapon of choice. As a hunter and tracker, it was perfect for me. It was quiet, deadly, and I never missed. Never.

"Thanks," I said told Jessie. It was a word I didn't say often, but today I really meant it. She went out of her way and risked herself to get my crossbow back. Just another reason for me to admire her for. And that took a lot.

"I'm hungry. You eat anything today while I was gone?" Jessie asked as we headed back to the rundown building that was now home.

No, I hadn't. I had gotten so used to being hungry again all the time, I never thought to eat. "Nope."

"Okay, let's see what we can put together. Then it's time we came up with a plan on what to do when you are better."

Jessie said that with such authority and since it was a good idea I had no problem going along with it. I was about to start a new phase in the many lives of Daryl Dixon.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

 **Jessie**

Night had fallen, and the old shack was lit by the flickering light of a single flame. I had found a few partially burned candles in the kitchen so we had one burning now or we would be in complete darkness. Neither Daryl nor I were saying much, and there was a slightly uneasy silence in the room. We were essentially two strangers thrown together by circumstance. Oddly enough, we were both loners, and we didn't seem to mind each other company. At least I didn't mind his.

Even though he was banged up pretty bad, I could tell Daryl was a survivor. People that had grown up hunting and fishing had a leg up on those of us never did. That was the only way to get fresh meat these days, and a diet of canned food got boring very quickly. And eventually we'd run out of food like that, and the only way to eat would be to grow it or hunt it. I could probably grow vegetables, but I sucked at hunting. Plus, I always ended up wasting bullets. A bow was a much better option.

I watched in the darkness as Daryl went over each piece of his crossbow checking and double checking it. The thing was heavy as hell, and I automatically knew his strong shoulders, and muscular arms came from using that weapon. They weren't the only parts of Daryl that attracted me.

Ever since I was old enough to appreciate the difference between boys and girls, I always went for the guy that was bad news. Even in suburban Maryland, I managed to find the boys that you should never take home to Mom and Dad. I knew Daryl was one of those boys, except all these years later my boys had turned into men. I especially loved the longer hair, even though I wished his bangs wouldn't cover up his battered face so much.

His swollen eye and bruised face held a promise of what lay underneath. Without a doubt, I knew that when he healed, he'd knock my socks off, but not in that classic movie star way. It was the entire package that I was learning that made up Daryl that had me thinking about doing things with him that until recently had me running from men. I knew that Daryl was not that way. He was gruff and stern, yet kind. He could probably kill a man without thinking twice, but I'd bet my life, and I kinda was, that he would never hurt a woman.

I was dying to know more about him.

"Hey, Daryl?"

"What?" he responded finally putting the crossbow down. He was sitting on the bed with his back against the wall, and I was on the hard wooden chair by the table.

"How did you end up alone camping by yourself? Did you ever have a group?" I asked him.

Even though it was dark, I saw him stiffen, before he slowly relaxed. I knew there was a sad story there that I wanted to hear.

After a long minute, he said softly. "Yeah, there was a group. They're gone now…I think."

"You don't know for sure? Were you with them long?"

Daryl pulled up a knee close to his chest and rested a hand on it. "Since the beginning."

Wait, did he say since the beginning? Groups never lasted that long. He definitely needed to tell me his story. I was completely intrigued already. "Wow, that long? I've never heard of that happening. Tell me your story, Daryl. I want to know."

He didn't answer me for a long minute. "I'll tell ya, but give me yours first."

I figured he ask about me, so who went first didn't really matter. If he wanted me to, that was no big deal, but I wasn't going to tell it to him when he was across the room. "Sure," I told him. "It's nothing special, but all we have is time right now, right?"

He bobbed his head agreeing with me. I had noticed early on, which was either yesterday or the day before, that he was a man of few words. That's another reason I was looking forward to hearing him tell me about his life. I really liked that raspy voice he had, and I was truly curious about what made well Daryl...Daryl. Our past experiences, the people in our lives, and this crazy world we all now survived in made us who we are now. Who we were before, didn't matter. Those people no longer existed. We had all changed whether we wanted to or not.

I got up and moved over to the end of the bed. I didn't know if his biting his thumbnail was a nervous habit or he was fixing it. Either way, I saw his eyes lock onto mine as I sat down. There was enough distance between us to keep things neutral for now.

I brought my legs up on the bed, so I sat cross-legged across from him. "I used to be a web designer. I worked for a pretty decent company on the outskirts of Baltimore. I was home on vacation when everything started to go really crazy, so I was lucky I wasn't near the city. I lived in a one bedroom apartment in the suburbs. I was watching what was happening on the TV and was shocked. Then everyone stopped broadcasting. Honestly, I was scared to death and didn't know what to do. My parents were on a road trip across the country in their RV, and I couldn't get in touch with them no matter how many times I tried calling them."

There were a few seconds of silence as I sadly remembered my parents. I loved them so much, and we were so close, but I never saw them again. It was like they just vanished. That was one of my biggest regrets.

"Did you ever?" he asked. I could see he knew the answer from the sadness in his eyes, but he had to ask.

"No."

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

That was very sweet of him to say. I flashed Daryl a small smile before continuing. "So I was all alone and had no idea what to do. I wasn't sure how long I could stay in the apartment. I was worried about my safety and running out of food. Luckily I had gone shopping earlier in the week, so I was set for a while. I had heard on the radio about refugee centers, and after I had been locked inside my place for five days, I thought maybe I should try there. The screams from the street were really starting to get to me as did the constant shuffling in the apartment above me. Back then I thought it was someone just pacing and afraid, now I'm pretty sure they were roamers. Anyway, I started to pack up sturdy clothes in a gym bag, when I got an idea. Brian, who lived across the hall, had given me his key so I could take care of his cat when he went away on weekend hiking trips. He loved to walk the Appalachian Trail. That's when I realized I never heard him come home from work. He would have come over to check on me, I know he would've, but he didn't. So that's when armed myself with heavy duty candlestick I had and with his key in my pocket, I opened my door for the first time in days."

"There was no one around, so I knocked loudly on his door, and nothing happened, except I heard his cat meowing from the inside. That's when I opened the door and scooted inside. The first thing I did was dump all of Rex's food on the floor. I was pretty sure that Brian wasn't coming back. I opened the closet where he kept his camping stuff in and started pulling everything out. I had no idea where I was going or what I needed, but I wanted to be a little prepared."

"Good thinkin'," Daryl said. "Not many did or had the time to. My brother and I didn't have much to start with, so we just threw everything in the back of my pickup along with his motorcycle. We grew up campin' and huntin' so we were pretty well set."

"What's your brother's name?"

"Merle."

"Did he make it?" Daryl just shook his head. "What happened?" I asked dreading the answer.

"Not now," he said. "This is your turn." He moved from sitting with his back to the wall to lay down on the bed. It was a slow and careful change, but I could see his body needed to rest. He was a strong man, but for now, he needed to heal to get his strength back. For both our sakes, Daryl had to get better as soon as possible.

The bed was narrow, but he bent up his left leg that let me remain on the bed near him. "Go on," he told me as he absently picked at the frayed edges around the hole in the knee of his pants.

He was right, but that didn't mean I wasn't super curious right now. "Okay, so in the end, I had his backpack, sleeping bag, tent, canteen, flashlights, and a big ass hunting knife. I still carry it with me every day. I loaded my stuff into the backpack, and before I left, I went back and opened the window for the cat. I couldn't let him die of starvation. Then I took off in my car and headed towards where the refugee center was. Let's just say that was a bad idea, so I turned pretty damn quickly around and headed out without having any clue on where to go."

"I was so scared, Daryl. I kept seeing these undead people roaming the streets, and I didn't know what to do. When I got out of the area, I found a few cars pulled over on the side of the road, and the people were all outside talking, so I pulled up behind them and got out. They ended up being my first group. It's been nothing but one group after another and running from everyone and everything. When I left my last group, I said that was it. I was tired of watching people I knew die. I was tired of finding out that people were just as evil as the dead. So that's when I took off on my own, and it's been a couple months that way."

"How'd you survive on your own?" Daryl asked. "It's not easy."

"No, it's not," I agreed. "But it was the only thing I could do. I scavenged from house to house staying anywhere from a couple hours to a day or two, I was always on the move. Just before I found you, I had spent the night in a house that was surrounded by the roamers."

"We call them walkers," Daryl interrupted.

"I've heard them called that too and about a dozen other things. The next morning the…walkers were gone," I said deliberately changing what I called the walking dead people. The corner of his mouth lifted in acknowledgment of the name change. He definitely needed to do that more.

"I was gathering my stuff together when I heard a couple cars drive down the road. I watch five guys get out and start to search the surrounding houses. I knew it was time for me to make my getaway. I slipped out the back door and headed into the woods. After a couple hours of trekking through the forest, I found you. I smiled at Daryl, "The rest you know."

Sure I had skipped a lot in the middle, but most of it was day after day just trying to survive. I was either looking for food, running for my life or killing the dead and sometimes the living. The lawless world we lived in changed everyone. Especially me. I was no longer the woman who wore dresses most of the time and got squeamish with a paper cut.

I could see that Daryl was thinking. Even though the room was quite dark, as the candle had burned down to a nub I was still close enough to see him. Moonlight also streamed in through the one window the shack had to offer to illuminate his battered face.

"It sounded like you started off pretty weak in knowing how to survive, right?" he finally asked.

"Definitely."

"You're anything but weak now. You're a survivor. You should be proud of yourself."

That was a surprise to hear him say that. I had learned to do whatever I needed to survive in this world. I counted on no one but myself. They say you need people to survive, but I didn't, even though it was getting lonely. Men saw me a single female and tried to take whatever they could from me. Not all, but a lot. I had been in too many bad groups that started off okay, but find yourself alone and suddenly there was a guy pinning you to the ground. Only a very few managed to take advantage of me. The rest either I killed, or I was able to get away only to have to take off on my own again. I was strong. Daryl was right, I should be proud of myself. It had been almost three years since the world flipped upside down and I was still alive.

"Thanks, Daryl." My smile at him quickly turned into a big yawn. Sleep had been difficult the night before. I had no idea of the time as that no longer mattered these days. Sun up and sun down was the most important. It had been dark for quite some time. "Maybe, we should get some sleep. We can save your story until tomorrow."

Daryl visibly relaxed and seemed relieved that he wasn't going to have to tell me about his life tonight. As much as I wanted to know about him, I was just too tired.

"Good idea," he said.

I got up from the bed and quickly scouted the yard through the window, but all looked quiet. Then I hung a tattered blanket over it hooking it onto a few nails that were protruding out of the wooden wall. A chair was shoved up under the doorknob as I checked the bolt that was securing the door from the inside. One swift kick with a boot would probably have it flying open, but it was the best we could do.

When I turned back to Daryl, who was stretched out on the small bed, the look of him even as messed up as he was, just about took my breath away. I didn't realize I was staring at him until he raised his eyebrows and said, "What?"

No, he was not going to get the naughty thoughts about him that were running through my head. They were a bit of a surprise to me, but they were not anything I was going to share. Instead, I went with my idea for a possible sleeping arrangement.

"I want to run something by you about sleeping tonight. I know you are injured, and the bed is small, but do you think we could share it?"

"Really?" he said with a smirk on his face.

"No! I don't mean that way, you idiot. It's just that the floor is really hard and I got like no sleep last night. I'm just talking about sleeping, nothing else." Hell yeah, I wanted the 'else' part, but I wasn't going to tell him that. Plus, he was in no shape for any extracurricular activities. Maybe, in a few days or a week, but not right now. Lord, how could I be thinking about this? I never thought of sex anymore.

I watched Daryl's face tighten as he sat up slowly on the bed. He swung his legs around, so he was sitting on the side. It took a few deep calming breaths before he looked back at me. "I'll take the floor. You got the bed."

Instantly, I was shaking my head. "Nope. You are the one that is hurt and needs to heal. A couple of good night sleeps will help with that. I know it would be tight, but we'd both be more comfortable than one of us on the floor." I didn't know if he just didn't want to sleep next to me or if it was something else.

" 'kay. But I can't sleep on my side, it's too fuckin' painful. Let me get down again, and then I'll let you figure it out."

I walked over to the bed watching Daryl lay down on his good side, before rolling onto his back. I could see the tightness on his face from the pain of moving around. He should have stayed on his back like he was. When he was settled, and as close to the wall as he could get, it left very little room for me, but I had a plan.

"Alright, now move this arm," I told him as I sat down on the edge of the bed. Thank God, his left side was the one without the stitches as that was where I was planning to be. I lay down next to him on my side barely fitting onto the bed. I rested my head on his broad shoulder and placed a hand on his chest. I could feel the rapid rise and fall of it. I wondered if he was as nervous as I was with us this close together?

I looked up at him and saw he was already looking down at me. One eye was still swollen shut, but I was guessing that may change by morning. That's when I noticed that his eyes were blue. No idea why I didn't see that sooner, but things had been a bit crazy. "I know this is a little intimate, but is it okay with you?"

That's when Daryl actually chuckled. "Yeah, it's okay."

"Why'd you laugh?" I asked him.

"Cause a guy would have to be crazy or gay, not to want a pretty girl this close to him." Then he whispered into my ear, "I ain't either," which sent a chill through me even though the air was warm. But two can play that game. I smiled up at him and simply said, "Good."

Then I rested my head back down on his shoulder and closed my eyes to try to regain control of my body and mind. Right now they wanted the same thing…Daryl. This may be the right place to take advantage of this unspoken attraction we had, but it wasn't the right time. He needed to heal, and I needed to make sure this was what I wanted. He wouldn't be a casual fuck rescue I knew that heart would get involved. I just knew it, but I wasn't sure I could handle it.

"Goodnight, Daryl," I said softly.

"Night," was all he said, but his arm came up and wrapped around me. It was the first time in months, maybe years that I actually felt safe. I fell asleep wishing for us to be together back when life was easy. When the dead didn't walk the earth and people acted like humans, instead of animals. Funny how my world had changed in just a few days.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

 **Daryl**

It could have been the morning sun coming into the room that woke me up or it could be the beautiful woman that was still sound asleep on my chest. It was odd that I slept better last night than I had in months. We were crammed into this little bed so that neither of could barely move as her body was practically on top of mine. This was not what I was used to. Hell, no. I slept by myself in my own space. I didn't share a bed like this before the world got fucked up or after. It just made no damn sense, that as much as I hated to admit it, I enjoyed it. I liked having Jessie pressed up against me. Since there was no place else to sleep, this could become a nightly habit that I was looking forward to.

Another weird thing was that we had no one was on watch. That was hard with just two people, so this run down piece of shit shack that we were temporarily calling home was vulnerable to an attack by anyone. Apparently, last night I didn't care. I didn't even think about it or say nuthin' like I should have, I just fell asleep anyway. Not exceptionally smart of us, but what else could we do?

It wasn't like I was much good right now anyway. I know I could shoot a gun, but using my knife or crossbow right now ain't happenin'. Between the broken ribs and the slice in my side, I had a lot of healing to do first. I was lucky I wasn't alone. Luck didn't often come to me, but it showed up this time in the shape of the hot black-haired woman that was sleeping with me.

I looked down at her, and she looked so peaceful and stunning. Thinking back, I don't think I ever thought of a woman as stunning before. Hot…a few, pretty…a few more and too many damn ugly when the drunk wore off. But stunning…never. Those type of women never looked at a Dixon. We were as bad as they came. Merle and me ain't the type of guy that you took home to mommy and daddy. We were the kind of guys you fucked to piss them off.

Even though my arm was completely numb from Jessie lying on it all night, I wasn't in any big rush to move. I did shift a little and bend a knee up to take a little strain off my back. She fidgeted in her sleep just a bit but quickly settled down. I put my hand on the arm that was across my chest and thought back to what she had told me about her life these last few years.

Jessie had survived without the benefit of a group like I had. Being able to know I could count on people like Rick, Glenn, Carol and the others all these years was the main reason we made it as far as we did. With the trust we all had in each other, we knew someone always had our back. Did anyone ever have Jessie's?

She never talked about a boyfriend or anyone that she could count one. I knew without having to ask that she left out quite a bit about her life, but then again she barely knew me. Maybe in time, she would tell me more, as I was pretty damn sure that she had come across some animals that abused women and I was talking about the two-legged variety.

Sure I liked getting laid just as much as the next guy, but I never forced a woman to have sex with me. Never could. Never would. Never will. That wasn't me. But now, with no law and basically no rules I knew too many assholes took what they wanted. The word "No" meant nothing to them. I really hoped Jessie hadn't had to suffer through that. Just the thought of this beautiful woman in my arms having to go through anything like that had my hands curling into fists and my heart starting to pound. I would gladly slit the throats of anyone who had done that to her.

"What are you looking so mad about?" her soft, but sleepy voice asked.

Damn, when had she woken up?

"It ain't nuthin'," I told her trying to brush it off. I didn't realize my face was showing what I was thinking.

"You're not mad at me, are you?" I could hear the uncertainty in her voice which surprised me.

I cupped her chin with my fingers and stared down into those unusual eyes of hers. My face softened automatically as I gave her a smile. "No, not at you at all. How could I be? You stitched me up, probably saving my life. You're taking care of me…of us like you've known me more than a handful of days, and you even went out to get back my crossbow, when I'm not sure I woulda done that for anyone. It was nuthin' to worry about."

Jessie sat up on her elbow, and I instantly gritted my teeth as the blood started to flow back into my arm. Damn, that fucker hurt, but there was no way I was gonna let her know that. If I could handle having my side slit open, I could handle this. There was no way I wanted her to know how numb my arm got, because she may not want to do this again tonight. And I couldn't believe I was thinking this, but I wanted her cuddled up against me again.

"Okay, good," she smiled. "Did you sleep okay last night?"

That I could answer completely honestly. "Better than I have in months."

"Me too," she replied.

Neither of us said anything for a long minute. I sure didn't know what to say. I hadn't ever been in this position before. I never spent the night with a woman. If we made it as far as her place for the sex, I left after I was done. I doubt she wanted me there in the morning and I knew I sure as hell didn't want to wake up there. But here I was waking up with a girl, and we didn't even have sex. How fucked up is that?

So I did the first thing I could think of, I sat up slowly. The feeling had returned to my arm, so I wasn't as uncomfortable as I was before. Jessie also moved to the edge of the bed before standing up and stretching. The little flash of pale skin I saw between the frayed bottom edge of her shirt and her jeans, hit me right in my dick. As I was desperately willing it to stop getting hard, Jessie had to turn around and face me while stretching her arms out behind her. All I saw was her tits sticking out at me.

I had to quickly turn my head and drop a hand down to cover my embarrassing boner. _What the fuck, Dixon_ was running through my head. I hadn't been hard like this for a girl in years. Like I said, I was too busy trying to stay alive to even think about fuckin' a chick. So why now, in the middle of nowhere was my dick telling me it was time? I had no idea if she even thought of me that way. Most females didn't. I was dependable Daryl. Loyal Daryl, but I was never "Let's have sex, Daryl." Sure Carol had said something once at the prison, but she was just being stupid. She never wanted me, and I never wanted her, but damn I sure did want Jessie.

"I'm going to go outside. I'll be back in a few minutes," Jessie told me.

"Check the yard first," I reminded her. But that wasn't needed. She was already looking out the window to see if anything was out there.

When she opened the door, the stale air in the cabin was replaced with a fresh country breeze. "You coming?" she asked. After a long night, it was normal that we both needed to take a piss.

"Soon," I told her. "Just moving slower than you. You going right or left?"

"Left."

"Okay." I watched her disappear from view, and I could finally remove my arm from trying to hide that fuckin' huge hard-on in my pants. Guys bodies betrayed us. A girl could be hot for you, and you'd never know it, but with guys all you had to do was look at their crotch. The bulge gave it away every damn time.

As I slowly stood up, I tried thinking of anything that wasn't Jessie. The hot weather, my brother or Rick…anything but her. I had to start thinking about her like I did Michonne and Maggie. As one of the family. I couldn't afford to piss her off as right now, I needed her more than she needed me

As I stepped out of the doorway, I saw her heading back. Guess I was taking longer than I thought. I nodded my head at her before I turned towards the tree line on the right side of the house. Girls to the left and boys to the right. Once I couldn't see the building anymore, I unzipped my pants and let a long stream fly.

When I was heading back, I saw Jessie with an armful of wood. I didn't want her lighting the stove unless she checked it out first. Since the shack was abandoned, who knows the last time that thing was used. I didn't want to smoke us out of the place or worse, burn it down. My slow saunter back picked up to a faster walk. Even the short distance to the shack left me slightly breathless.

"Don't light that stove," I told her the second my feet hit the doorway.

"Why not?"

"If the chimney is blocked, this place is gonna fill up with smoke, and it could catch the roof on fire. We need it check it first."

Jessie added the wood to the small pile she had near the stove and wiped her hands on her jeans. "I was hoping to use it later on to heat up dinner for us tonight. Having a hot meal for a change would be nice. Can you check it or can you tell me how to?"

I hadn't used one of these stoves in years, but I knew what to do. I had lived in a place like this once with my father. Before I took off to find Merle, the old man was drinking so much that he couldn't keep a job, so we didn't have any money for rent. He knew of this run-down cabin in the woods, that's where we squatted in for a while. Getting to school was a four-mile walk, each way, so it just made my decision to quit school even easier. I doubt anyone even missed me.

Anyway, we needed to clean out the area where the wood burned. I was glad that Jessie volunteered to do that. I don't think I could have done it with my ribs. She wound her long ponytail into a bun and tucked it in so it would stay up and out of the way. It was such a quick and sure move that I could tell she had done it many times before.

I wondered what her hair would look like loose and not pulled back. Oh no, I could not go there! Thinking about her that way would only get me in big trouble. All I needed was another boner sticking out. I could just hear her now, "What the hell is that, Daryl? If you think that I am going to fuck a guy like you, you're crazy. I am so outta here." Then she'd grab her pack, and I'd be left alone…again. So, no the dick was not gonna get me in trouble. I needed her right now.

I tried to concentrate on what needed to be done. There was no way we could take the metal chimney down or go up on the roof to check it out, so we needed to light a tiny fire that would burn out quickly to see where the smoke went.

A few dry pine needles and small twigs should do the trick.

I left Jessie tackling the stove and went outside to find the kindling that we needed. It would also stop me from looking at her ass as she bent over to get inside the stove. Since the yard had a lot of debris in it, I was able to grab a couple branches that could be broken down easily. The pine needles were a different story. Stepping into the woods, I headed towards the pine grove that I could see. The ground was covered in dried needles. Except, when I reached down to grab a handful, my ribs screamed in protest. Took the breath right outta me.

"Goddamn, mother fuckin' douche bags!" I exclaimed through gritted teeth. Those assholes may be dead, but they still fucked me up enough that I couldn't even bend over.

Once the pain calmed down, I looked around for a way I could gather these things up. There was a tree on the ground a little further in so I headed over there. I sat down on it like I was ninety-fuckin'-years old. At least now I could reach the needles without killing myself. I pulled a bandana outta my back pocket and filled it as much as I could. These would burn quickly, which was what I wanted, but I needed it long enough to generate some smoke.

By the time I got back to the shack, Jessie had the wood box decently cleaned in the stove. She, on the other hand, was a hot mess. I put everyone down on the table, but she must have seen something in my expression.

"What?" she asked.

"The stove looks good, but ya got the soot all over ya," I told her trying to hold back a laugh.

She looked down at her hands that were black and smiled, "Yeah, there was no way my hands weren't getting dirty, but there's a bar of soap in the trunk. Could you get it for me and a towel?"

I didn't say anything as I searched for the items she asked for. Jessie watched me as I took them into the little kitchen alcove and put them on the worn plank countertop. Then I slowly pumped some water into the bucket for her. This way the pump handle would stay clean since her hands were as black at a cloudless night from the soot.

"Thanks," she said as she came up behind me. "I'll have my arms and hands cleaned in no time."

"Umm, you gonna want to wash more than that," I finally told her.

"What? Did I get soot on something else?"

I didn't trust myself to speak, or I'd burst out laughing. And laughing wasn't something that came easily to me either. There wasn't much to laugh about in this world anymore, but if Jessie could only see her face. All I could do was nod at her.

"Where?"

I was biting my lower lip. It was so hard not to laugh.

"Damn it, Daryl. You're no help!" she said rolling her eyes. Then she turned to look into and a small mirror that hung on the wall that I hadn't noticed. The squeal that came outta her when she saw herself as priceless. "Oh. My. God!" she laughed turning to me. "You would have thought I put my head in that damned stove. I'm a mess!"

I couldn't hold it back any longer and just burst out laughing. Jessie joined in, and soon she had soot covered tears running down her face. Man, it felt good to laugh even though I was holding onto my sore ribs.

"I'll let you wash up," I told her before heading into the other room. Least I could do was give her some privacy.

"Okay, thanks," Jessie said absently.

I barely made it to the table where I dropped my kindling when she called out to me. "Daryl, can you go into my backpack and grab me another shirt. This one's a mess, and I need to wash it."

Without answering her, I walked over to her pack and looked through it until I found a shirt. When I walked back to the alcove to give it to her, I didn't expect was to find her standing there washing her arms, but only wearing a bra and her jeans. Whoa.

"Oh, Fuck…sorry. I didn't realize…umm…here take this." I practically threw the shirt on the small counter and bolted from the room. I was standing outside smoking one of my last cigarettes when Jessie came out to throw out the dirty water. I couldn't look at her. Sure, that was completely stupid, but I was already hot for her and seeing her tits that way was more than I could handle.

She went back into the house, and I still stayed outside. I couldn't get the image of her full breasts outta my head. They were absolutely fuckin' perfect. I wasn't sure how I could face her again, knowing I wanted so badly to touch her. It wasn't just a typical guy wanting a girl's titties thing. It was hers. I wanted hers, and I knew I couldn't do it.

Water splashed behind me as Jessie emptied another bucket. I heard her feet coming up behind me, so my entire body was tensed up when she put a hand on my arm.

"Daryl, we need to talk."

I nodded my head and just as I turned to follow her into our tiny, rundown, piece of shit home a squirrel in the tree overhead me started to chatter loudly. I looked up into the leafy branches above me and saw the gray squirrel looking right down at me. Even he knew I was so fucked.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

 **Daryl**

I strolled into the cabin, trying to keep the guilty look off my face. I'm not sure how successful I was since I have one of those faces that tells you everything I am feeling by just lookin' at me. It took a few moments for my eye to adjust to the darker interior of the shack. Jessie was sitting on the bed with one foot on the floor and the other bent up on the old mattress. I couldn't tell how mad she was. But what the fuck! How did she expect me to react when she's standing there in her bra scrubbing her arms and her perfect tits are all jiggly? A guy can only take so much.

The swelling in my left eye had started to go down some, so I was able to see some out of that eye. Jessie patted the bed with her hand indicating that she wanted me to sit over there. Standing up woulda been just fine, but my feet were listening to her even though my head said "No fuckin' way."

The old mattress dipped down as I sat on the edge. I was nibbling on my thumbnail with my eyes glued to the floor. I hope she didn't see the embarrassed flush I had. I'm such a loser.

"Daryl?"

"Yeah?"

"Daryl, look at me, please."

When I refused to look at her, I heard her say softly, "I'm sorry."

Wait. What? What is she sorry for? I thought I was the one in trouble. I looked up at her confused, "For what?"

"For embarrassing you in the kitchen. I didn't think twice about taking my dirty shirt off. I don't know why as I typically never do that, but I guess I'm so comfortable around you that it didn't occur to me and it should have. I'm sorry. I wasn't flaunting myself at you, it was just me not thinking as I washed up. Okay? Are we okay?"

Jessie was fiddling with the worn seam on her jeans the whole time she apologized to me. I knew she was nervous and even though I am aware I come off like an uncaring douche bag most times, I felt bad for her. It was my fault too. Living in such close quarters with the women in our group, meant I got an eyeful from them too every now and then. Hell yeah, I looked, I ain't dead, but seeing Jessie clad just in her bra did a lot more to me and my dick, than anyone else ever did.

"Yeah, we're okay. Sure, I wasn't expectin' to see you just there in your...your…"

"Bra?"

"Yeah, that…I never shoulda run out like that. I mean we're sleepin' together, ain't we?"

Jessie laughed at me. "In the truest sense of the word, yes we are. You know what? You're a good guy Daryl…" she hesitated for a second. "What's your last name?"

"Dixon."

"Mine is Madigan. Anyhow, you are one of the few good guys left in this world, Daryl Dixon. I'm glad you didn't die on me."

"Me either," I sighed. "That woulda sucked for sure."

Jessie burst out laughing, and even though I was serious, I guess it was kinda funny. I made someone laugh, usually I'm pissing them off, so the worlds gotta be coming to an end. But shit, didn't that already happen?

"Daryl, you are one of a kind."

"Yeah, I guess." Enough talk about me. "We good?"

"Yes, we're good. Now that brings me to the next thing."

Guess I groaned a bit loudly. Talking was not my strong suit. "I think we should plan our next step after you heal up. That is unless you want to continue on your own, but I believe we make a good team. Do you want to stick together?" Jessie asked.

Now, this was something real. I'm so glad we stopped talking about me seeing her half naked. This was something I had been thinking about this too. We had only known each other maybe two days, but I already knew I could trust her. It was time for me to stop being on my own. It had been months since I lost the best family I ever had, and I needed someone to have my back. I survived this last attack, but how long could my luck keep holding out?

"Nah, I'm done being on my own, and you should be, too. Once I'm better, what do we do? Stay here or move on?" Here was a small one-room shack, that was barely functioning, but it did have four walls, heat and water. The problem was there was no food. I'd have to hunt for that and game had gotten pretty damn scarce.

And the bed. There was just one small narrow bed for us to share. That's going to be interesting.

"Well, we've been lucky here so far. We're deep enough in the woods that the walkers as you call them haven't made it this far. That could be a blessing or a curse because if they end up here in a group, we're in big trouble. They'll tear this building apart."

Jessie was thinking smart, and I liked that. She was right about the walkers. "Maybe we stay for a little while. I can get better enough to hunt, and I can teach you how to use the crossbow. We stock up on some game if we can find it, maybe figure out a way to make some jerky, and then head out. It'll be good to winter here with the heat, but that may be pushing our luck."

"I think we have a plan," Jessie said with a smile. Our lives were changing whether we wanted them to or not. Jessie was the closest thing to a friend I had, and I was lucky that she wanted to pair up with me.

"Well, since we are going to be here for a little while I think I'm going to clean everything more thoroughly. It's still so dusty in here," Jessie said looking around. The shack wasn't much, but it was ours for the time being.

"What do you need me to do?" I asked her. I couldn't do much yet, but there was no way to was going to sit around and do nothing. Watched my old man do that for years and I ain't him.

I watched Jessie look around from one side of the room to another. As her head swung back and forth, so did the long black ponytail she had. I wondered what her hair looked like down and loose. It was long enough to completely cover her…"

"Daryl?"

Damn it! She caught me drifting off. Gotta stop thinking of her that way, asshole. "Sorry, what?"

"Can you inventory our food?"

Yeah, that I could do. "Yep. Get right on it."

So that's how we spent the rest of the day. Figuring what we had, what we needed, and Jessie cleaning. There was no way I was going to take a wet rag and wash down the walls, so when I was done, I pretended I was sore and tired, and simply laid down. I know, that was a crappy thing to do to her, but I don't clean. Hell, I barely showered when I had the chance. But, I didn't want to admit to myself that I was tired. You don't go from almost dying to full strength overnight, so really I did have an excuse.

Later on, when night came, we settled down after having a warmed dinner of hash. Our supplies would last another week, maybe a bit more, but that was it. I hadn't told Jessie yet, but we were going to have to go scavenging. I doubt I could even cock my crossbow, but I planned on giving it a try soon. We needed food, and she was not going to go alone.

There was only one candle burning again, so the room was pretty dark. Jessie had covered the one window so that the dim light was not visible from the outside, but that also meant we didn't benefit from any of the moonlight. There was a full moon out tonight.

Jessie was fussing with something in the alcove, so I stretched out again on the bed. My body still ached, though not too bad from the damned beating I took. My ribs were another story. They sent a stabbing pain throughout me even when I tried to breathe deeply, and they were going to take much longer.

I rested my eyes for a moment until I felt the end of the bed dip. Jessie had sat down where she did last night when we talked. Tonight, I'm sure she was going to ask about my life. That sure as fuck wasn't anything l liked to talk about. I bent my knee up to give her more room but I didn't open my eyes.

It was quiet for a few minutes, before she said, "Well?"

"What?" I grumbled trying to play dumb.

"C'mon," Jessie said while playfully pushing on my leg. Good thing she chose one of the few areas that didn't actually hurt. "I told you about me last night, now it's your turn."

I opened my good eye, gave her a glare and closed it again. Maybe that would deter her. God, I was just not a talker.

"Daryl, we are going to be relying on each other to survive, and I want to know who you are. What you went through. Please."

I opened both eyes this time, and I saw she was looking directly at me. Even though the single candle flame was casting flickering shadows all around the room, I could clearly see those eyes of hers. They had the ability to make me do most anything she asked. She had a power over me that even I didn't understand.

"I really want to know."

I owed her my story at the least. Sure I hated talking about it, but Jessie deserved to hear it. Hell, after what she's done for me, I owe her a helluva lot more. "Okay, might as well start at the beginning with me and my brother Merle. After everything started to go fuckin' nuts, we just packed everything up in my pickup and hit the road. We got stuck in a traffic jam that was going nowhere. Everyone was trying to get away from Atlanta.

"You're not from Virginia?" she asked.

"Nope. The hills of North Georgia. Then, we hooked up with a bunch of people that we had met stuck on the road like we were. Traffic hadn't moved in hours, so we all managed to all turn around and headed back until we found a turn off that took us away from the city. At this point they were dropping bombs on Atlanta, trying to kill the sickness there. It was crazy. And honestly, fuckin' scary. Anyway, we set up camp by a quarry that gave us water and fish. After a couple of days, a few of the group went on a supply run, and they ended up back in Atlanta. I went hunting for fresh meat while they were gone. But when they came back it was without my brother, and they had another guy with them." I could still remember that day like it was yesterday. Finding out they left Merle on that roof and the anger at them all for doing it. Merle was a jackass, but he was blood. And I was a hothead back then. Well, I still was, just not as bad.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Daryl."

"Naw, it wasn't like that. You see Merle was his own worst enemy," I admitted. "Him being a fuckin' douche bag was what got him handcuffed to a pipe on the roof of a building. They left him there, but we went back the next day for him. The new guy they brought back ended up being the husband of a woman in our camp. She and her kid thought he was dead. He was a cop, and it was his handcuffs they used on Merle."

Even though Merle had put them all in jeopardy because he was thinking about no one 'cept himself, and deserved everything he got, it still pissed me off. I wished there had been another way to have handled it, but he didn't give them many options.

"I bet you hated that new cop guy."

I chuckled which surprised me and Jessie. "I did hate the guy back then, but I was just as much of an asshole as my brother was, except I was able to adapt and learn…Merle couldn't. Rick, the cop, now is the best friend I ever had. He's a brother to me in everything except blood. He's been better to me than Merle ever was."

"Why is that, Daryl? Did you and Merle not get along?"

"He was a few years older than me. Felt he always knew what was best for us, when he really didn't. I left home at sixteen and hooked up with Merle. He had us doing shit that we never shoulda been doing. Always calling me little brother and treating me like a fuckin' kid." The memories from back then were hard and still so damn vivid, that all of a sudden I needed to move. Being on this bed, with her, was too much good while I talked about a bad time. Jessie shifted so I could get up slowly from the bed. I started to pace back and forth in the small room.

The more I told Jessie, the easier it was becoming. It was like I had all this anger and sadness pent up inside and I had to get it out. As much as I didn't want to talk to her tonight, now I felt like I had to. I needed to tell her what we all had been through, what I had survived.

I proceeded to tell her the story of our group…my family. We started with about twelve, and now it was down to four. Or it could be just me. I could be the only one left. Just like Beth said, "last man standing." Even though that's the way it seemed since I could never find anyone else, deep down I hoped that they had made it out of Alexandria. Someone had to have beside me.

She heard how Merle cut off his own hand to escape the rooftop he was chained to and how I found him so many months later. I told her about the farm with Hershel, Maggie, and Beth. How we found the prison and lost it to the shit guy that Merle was with. My voice broke just a bit when I told Jessie how I found my brother eating from a body after he turned. Even after all this time, it was hard to think back to that day. I did what I had to, but I hated every single second of it.

The look she gave me let me know without me having to say it. She knew I had killed my brother. I didn't have any other choice.

The night got later, but we kept talking. There wasn't anything else to do. Jessie listened for the most part but would ask a question every now and then. I told her about how we all lost each other when the Governor attacked the prison. I told her about Beth, who was so much younger than me but was wiser than most anyone else I knew. Losing Beth was still a raw wound. It was unnecessary and pointless. And it still pissed me off that I let it happen.

It fucked me up enough so that I had joined up with Joe and those psychos he traveled with. I had no one else. I explained about their stupid code and what happened when they found Rick, Michonne, and Carl. I knew they were searching for someone, I just didn't realize it was my family. Even though it was gruesome for her to hear how Rick had torn the guy's throat out with his bare teeth, she didn't flinch or shudder when I told her.

All Jessie said was, "We have to protect our loved ones at all costs."

I knew she understood.

It was crazy that I was still talking. I hated to talk like this, but I had told her this much, so I had to go on. She needed to hear it all. Jessie had to know why I was the way I am. It was all I had to give her.

Now I was telling her about Terminus. I had to sit down for this one. This was one very fucked up part of our lives. Not every day you are confronted and held hostage by lunatics that want to eat you.

"Wait, wait!" Jessie said stopping me. "They lured innocents there with the promise of sanctuary when they actually intended to kill them and eat them. Seriously?" I nodded my head at her, but she still didn't believe me. "That can't be right. With all the craziness happening now, you are telling me that these people were really eating other people? Did you see it?"

When I told her about Bob, She closed her eyes for a moment before asking me, "Did you kill them?"

"Yep, we did."

"Good. People like that do not deserve to live." Jessie thought the same way I did. The way my family did. She belonged with us…with me.

Now, it was time for Alexandria. I told her all about how it was like a step back in time when then the dead stayed dead.

"I hated being there," I told her. "I felt so out of place. The people didn't know me. The houses were like out of a fairy tale. I was used to trailers and shacks, not five bedroom huge houses with fancy shit everywhere. The walls closed in on me…fast, so I spent as much time outdoors as I could."

"Did it ever get better for you?"

"Yep, it did. And now I miss it."

"What happened to Alexandria?" she asked me. The sad look she gave me let me know that out of everything I had been through, this was the worst. This is what almost broke me.

"They surprised us with a night raid on Alexandra," I told her trying to hold the anger and the sadness back.

"Who did, Daryl?" she asked me. "Who did?"

I could tell that she was confused. "Negan and the Saviors."

The way she suddenly cocked her head at me let me know she knew exactly who I was talking about. Her face lost the softness it had, "How did you get involved with Negan?"

"A couple of them stopped Sasha, me, and Abraham on the road one day and wanted all our shit, so instead I blew them up, so there were body parts all over the fuckin' pavement. "

"How did you manage that?"

"RPG. Abraham was ex-army, and he found them. We were bringing them back to the group when they stopped us. Good thing I'm a fast learner. Never shot one of those suckers before that day."

"I bet that pissed Negan off?" Jessie asked.

"Yeah, but how do you know Negan?" It seems that his reach was pretty damn big.

"Luckily only by name and reputation. Some of the groups I ended up in took in people that had run-ins with the Saviors. Negan's name always filled them with fear," Jessie explained.

Right now his name filled me with hate. "If I ever see him again, he's a dead man. Just like those soldiers of his that I took out. Would love to blow him to bits too. Except, there was one thing I hated one thing about doing that."

"What was that, Daryl?"

"All those motorcycles those boys were sittin' on got blown up too. I coulda used a new one."

That caused Jessie to chuckle. "Yeah, motorcycles suit you. You like being by yourself on the road with you and your thoughts. Right?"

Damn, she was right.

The night was getting late, really late, but I wasn't finished, and neither was Jessie. I told her of the raid on the outpost, Dwight, Denise and ultimately of the deaths of Glenn and Abraham. Negan ruined our lives, and no matter how hard we tried to take him down, we always came out on the bottom. And now I had lost everything and everyone. I didn't tell her that I blamed myself for this. Maybe it would have turned out differently if I hadn't told Jesus we could take out the outpost.

It was my idea that Rick ran with. My fault…again.

We both were overconfident and look where it landed us. The Saviors weren't as strong as they used to be, but we were virtually wiped out. The Kingdom and Hilltop didn't fare any better. The life we had all known was gone.

Jessie moved closer to me and wrapped her arms around me. "I'm sorry, Daryl," she whispered. "You're not alone anymore, and neither am I."

She kissed my forehead and then got up from the bed. I lay down like I did last night and Jessie curled up next to me. Then I said her something to her that I didn't say very often. "Thank you, Jessie."

She looked up at me with those angel eyes of hers and touched her hand lightly to my face. "You're welcome," she told me before snuggling back down onto my chest. Right then and there I knew one thing, I had fallen for her like I had never done for anyone before. Damn it, I fuckin' fell in love.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

 **Jessie**

Daryl was still sound asleep. I had woken up for some unknown reason, and as far as I could tell, it was still dark out. It could have been because my body was stiff sleeping in one position all night or it could be the man I was practically sleeping on top of. A little less than a week ago, I was on my own and determined to stay that way. I knew I was depressed and the only reason I kept on living was that I didn't want to die. Nothing was good in my world.

Now, look at me. Daryl and I have decided to partner up in this quest we had to survive. We were fighting both the dead and the living. Too many humans were just as evil and deadly as their walking dead counterparts. Daryl was proof of that with his broken ribs and abused body. That was recent. His past showed how even before the world went all wonky and sideways, that people back then were just as wicked too. Someday, I hoped he would tell me the story of the scars he bore on his chest and back. He wasn't ready yet, and I refused to push him.

I thought back to the night he had told me so much about his life and the people he thinks he lost. They were all so close that they considered themselves a family. I could tell he mourned them and my heart went out to him. Never thought I'd care about another human being again, but here he was making me care about him when I had vowed never to do that again.

My life had been tough too but in very different ways. Scars could be just as tough to deal with when they were inside of you and not so visible to the eye. He had plenty of those too that I was certain.

During the past few days, we had come up with a routine of sorts. We ate only a small meal at breakfast and slightly larger at dinner. Our rations were getting quite low, and I needed to talk to him about going out to find more. Just yesterday, he tried to pull the string back to cock his crossbow, but he couldn't. His ribs hadn't healed enough yet, nor did the wound in his side that I had stitched up. I was going to tell him I would go alone, but I know he wasn't going to like that, so I was waiting until the last minute to tell him.

He wasn't ready to fight, and I was. If I were worried about him, it would sidetrack me from what I was doing. And if that involved killing the hungry monsters that were always attacking us and I was distracted by keeping an eye on Daryl, that would mean one or both of our deaths.

I didn't want either of us to die, not when I had just found him.

Daryl wasn't as gruff as he started out to be. He had relaxed, and I was drawn to him even more than ever. He was the rough around the edges guy I had always liked, but knew was wrong for me. He hid his compassion and emotions well but living this close to him day after day, I could see them hidden under the surface. He intrigued me like no man ever had.

The last guy I had voluntarily hooked up with was alright until he betrayed me. We got together because he seemed like a decent guy and we both had our needs. That ended the last night we were both on watch on the outskirts of our camp. He and his friends decided that sharing me would be fun. It wasn't. I had no chance against the three of them. As I lay gagged in the dirt, my shirt ripped open and my body naked from the waist down, they took turns raping me until the sun came up.

I stopped fighting them halfway through the night, but I never gave up. With every unwanted thrust inside my battered body, I plotted their deaths. Once, the sun was hovering on the horizon, they took off. I was able to untie my hands and pull the foul gag out of my mouth. I dressed as well as I could since the shirt was torn and found my way back to camp. No one said a word to me. I put a new shirt on as everyone watched. I didn't care who saw my naked breasts. Then I gathered up my meager belongings and just as I was leaving camp. I turned back to the dozen or so eyes that were on me. "Fuck you all," I told them. And that's when I started my journey on my own.

But now I had Daryl.

Even though he was injured and couldn't fight off a walker, he still made me feel safe. As odd as that sounded, it was true. His handsome face was buried under bruises that had faded to a dull greenish-yellow, but I still found him wildly attractive. And that surprised me. He was totally my type of guy, but after that horrendous night, I was sure I was finished with men. All men. But Daryl was different, and for some strange reason, my body wasn't afraid of him. In fact, I wanted him, I shouldn't, but I did.

However, I was smart enough to realize that a quick fuck would get me nowhere and I would stand a good chance of losing him. I'd rather have him around as my friend and partner, then take the chance of screwing everything up with sex. Plus, I wasn't even sure he was into me.

With the sun not even up, I realized there was a chance I could get another hour or so of precious sleep, so I tried to turn off my mind and go back to unconsciousness I sought. The next time I woke up, was because Daryl was awake and moving around on the small bed. The sun was rising in the sky.

"Morning," I mumbled as I slowly woke up.

"Mornin'. Sorry, but I gotta get up. Need to find a tree."

I sat up so he could get up to go outside. I watched him shake his arm a few times and wiggle his fingers. Damn, his arm must go to sleep with me lying on it all night. And he's never complained once. Where was he all my life? Georgia that's where and I was stuck in Baltimore. They were hundreds of miles apart, yet here we were.

After breakfast, I wanted to check some blackberry bushes I had found the other day to see if any more were ripe. They were a nice treat for us. I found Daryl sitting outside sharpening his big hunting knife on a stone.

"Hey, I'm going to go look for more berries."

"Okay, Good. I think I may check out the woods behind the house. We haven't gone that way yet, and I found an overgrown path back there," he told me.

"Do you want me to go with you? I can check the berries later," I suggested.

That earned me a glare that I took as a definite no. "Don't need no babysitter. You check the berries, and I'll be back later," he said standing up putting the knife in the sheath on his hip.

I hadn't noticed the gun he had tucked in the back of his pants until he turned around to leave. He threw my backpack over his shoulder and for a moment I was concerned. "Daryl?"

He had taken three steps before stopping. Then he turned around and walked back to me. I felt him cup my chin with his fingers and his blue eyes locked onto mine. "I'll be back. I promise." Then he walked away, and I saw him vanish into the woods.

It was mid-afternoon, and I had tried to keep myself occupied all day, but it was hard. There simply was nothing to do, but sit and worry about Daryl. He was coming back, he promised me. But sometimes we couldn't keep those promises. What if he came across a lot of walkers? Could he handle that in his condition? I laughed to myself. I was calling them "walkers" like he did. That just seemed so normal now.

I pulled out Gulliver's Travels to see if reading would help me settle down, but after a half dozen pages of blurred words I put the book back on the shelf. I had to go look for him. It was driving me crazy that he wasn't back yet. Maybe, just a little ways down that path to what was there. I had to go. So I checked the bullets in my gun once again confirming it was good to go. Filled a pocket with more and with my knife in hand, I headed off to find Daryl.

The path he had talked about was much more visible once I knew what to look for. The entrance had grown over, but once you stepped through there, I saw a distinctive trail. As I stepped over the occasional branch and followed the route Daryl took, I was on high alert. The only sound I heard was the chattering of the squirrels in the trees. There was no shuffling or growling that indicated walkers were nearby.

I had gone maybe a couple hundred feet when I heard the sound of running water. I was surprised, and that definitely had my curiosity up. I followed the sound trying to be a quiet as I could until I was sure what I was getting into.

A voice had me dropping down to the ground instantly. That was until I realized it was Daryl. Who was he talking to? Maybe he was in trouble, so I took it slow, careful steps to not make anyone aware of my presence. I was able to get behind a rock, but the only person I saw was him. He was standing on a stone ledge on the edge of a beautiful pool of water. If no one else was there who was he talking to?

My heart about skipped a beat as I watched him unbutton his shirt and drop it to the ground. As he knelt down to untie his boots, the chatter in the trees above him caught his interest.

"Yeah, I know. So shut up. But I haven't been clean in days or maybe even weeks and since Jessie and I are sleeping so close together, it ain't fair for her to smell my ripe body no more. So shut the fuck up squirrel, or you gonna find yourself as dinner as soon as I can use my bow again."

Then it registered what he was doing. He was going to take a bath in the swimming hole. Oh, I should go. He was safe, and that was the reason I came out here, not to watch him.

Oh, my God.

He was unbuttoning his pants and slipping out of them. I had to get out of there. I had no business watching him this way. It was a major invasion of his privacy, but my legs refused to move. It was like they were glued to the ground.

My wide-eyes stayed attached to his body as he tossed his worn pants aside. He didn't wear any underwear, so I was getting a perfect view of his assets from behind. His strong, broad shoulders. I swear I had never seen anyone with shoulders as wide as he had. His back was muscular without overdoing it. The strength it took to use and carry his crossbow showed in every muscle of his upper torso. He had arm muscles that bulged every time he used them. Even now, I could see his defined biceps as he slowly lowered himself into that clear pool of water.

He had an ass that I longed to grab. Rounded and perfect for a guy. And I got a great view of it as he carefully stepped down further and further into the water until it was up to his hips, then he dove underneath. This was the perfect time for me to make my getaway, but he surfaced before I could will my legs to work.

He came up sputtering to the surface and pushed his wet hair off his face. Daryl may have found some sand on the bottom because he was rubbing something over his arms and chest and it was definitely not any type of soap. He went under again and again each time surfacing like a beautiful wild creature.

Until finally, he used his strong arms to hoist himself up out of the water and back onto the rock ledge. There was pain etched on his face as his body told him he overdid it. I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. God, it was so wrong, and I knew I'd be furious at him if he did the same to me, but I was powerless to look away.

Leaving now was out of the question. He would certainly hear any movement I made, so I stayed as still as possible. The boulder I was behind and the leafy undergrowth kept me hidden from his view. Or at least I hoped it did. As he stood up and shook his head slightly to get rid of the water in his hair, I got my first full frontal view of him. I had been curious about him since that first morning we woke up together. The morning bulge in his pants had been impressive, but I had pretended not to notice. Believe me, now I was noticing!

" _Holy fuck_ ," I said to myself. " _He is…hung_." The pool had to be cool, but it did nothing to shrink his cock. Water dripped off the tip, and I had the biggest urge to go over there, drop to my knees, and take it in my mouth. I lacked the courage to be so bold with him, so instead I stayed hidden and watched him like a peeping tom.

Then he surprised me even more, and I didn't think that was at all possible when he took his long shaft in his hand and started to pump it. Then he kept going and going until he had himself fully erect. That's when I knew without a doubt at some point in our relationship, I had to have that large dick inside of me. There was no way I wanted to ruin the friendship we had, but I was not going to die and not know what sex would be like with him. No way.

Daryl closed his eyes as his hand did all of the work. I wondered what he was thinking about. Or make that who he was thinking about? Someone was definitely making him rise to the occasion. I hoped it was me that was making that hard and that big, but there was no way to know.

I looked away from watching his hand pumping away and stared at his face. It had relaxed in that sexual "God-that-feels-so-good-don't-stop" way. He licked his lips and sighed deeply almost causing me to come out from hiding and offer my services to him.

My head was so mixed up as I wanted this man so badly, but how could that be? After being raped the way I was, how could I want to have sex again? The crazy thing was I did want it, and I wanted it with Daryl.

Now I know why some men hid to spy on women. It was so erotic to watch him, knowing he had no idea I was here. I had watched guy's jerk off before, but never like this. Never without them knowing I was there.

All of a sudden, I could see his breathing start to get louder as he got closer to coming. The hand gripping his cock was moving as fast as it could go. It was simply mesmerizing watching him stand there in the woods totally naked and masturbating. I heard the deep groans come from him as he started to come in ropey white spurts all over his hand and chest. I would guess that he hadn't done that in a while since there was so much.

Daryl let go of his still fairly hard shaft before slowly opening his eyes. He looked like a God standing there with the rays of the sun highlighting the water that was still glistening on his naked body. I had to make a specific effort to close my mouth. Even with the scars and the bruises, he took my breath away.

Then I watched him gently climb back into the pool of water and dive under again to clean himself off. Even though my tongue would have been more than happy to do the job, my legs finally realized that I needed to make my getaway. It was now or never. So while he was submerged underwater, I ran for the trail and headed home as quickly as I could.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

 **Jessie**

I was pacing back and forth in the overgrown yard when Daryl got back. I had been pretending to pick up the dead branches that were scattered on the ground to give myself something to do, but all I managed to accomplish was the two in my hand I quickly grabbed when I heard him whistle he was back. I was mad at myself. The second I realized he was all right, I should have either made my presence known or left the area altogether. I should never have stayed.

"Hey," I said when I saw him. "How'd it go?" I was going to play it cool and pray he had no idea that I had been spying on him. I could barely look him in the eye. I'm such a piece of shit.

"Followed the trail for a while but it led nowhere. Did find a swimming hole not far down it. Good place to wash up. The water's cold, but clean from what I can tell," he told me. There wasn't any indication that he knew I had been there. That was a big relief. "I can show you where it is tomorrow."

Time to change the topic. I tossed the branches I held into the woods. "We need to talk about tomorrow."

Daryl's face got hard instantly. "What do you mean we need to talk?"

"C'mere, let me show you."

I headed toward our shack with Daryl following behind me. On the small counter in the kitchen, I had put our remaining food. There wasn't a lot left. "I need to go on a run. What we have left won't last us long at all."

" 'kay, we'll head out tomorrow."

"No."

Daryl looked at me confused. "I thought you wanted to do a run?"

"I do, but not you."

"Fuck that!" he shouted. "You're not going alone. Why the hell don't you want me with you?"

I had been expecting him to react this way. He couldn't handle a walker yet, and frankly, I needed time away from him. He was just too tempting. "Stop yelling at me and let's sit down."

I didn't wait for him to answer me, I just walked out of the alcove and sat down at the end of the bed. That had more or less become my spot. I waited for him to join me and even though the place was small, it took him way longer than it should have. Once he finally joined me, I saw he was staring at me in that intimidating way he had. Except, he didn't scare me. "Daryl, it's not that I don't want you to go, but you aren't ready yet…"

"Fuck that," he said jumping up quickly with a wince. He tried to play it off like it was nothing, but I saw the pain flash across his face. "Of course I'm ready."

He was a stubborn son of a bitch. "Okay, then cock your crossbow. Right now, do it. "

Daryl flashed me a look that said, "I got this." If he did, then I underestimated his recovery, but I was pretty sure there was no way he could pull the string back yet. I saw him try two days ago and he couldn't. His ribs were still healing.

The crossbow was leaning up against the wall by the door, so he walked over and grabbed it. I was watching his face the entire time, and he didn't dare look at me. Daryl pulled the string back, and the tension in it was fighting him. The muscles in his arms bulged, but from the thin line, his lips made I knew he was struggling.

I didn't say a word as I watched him lower the string and try again. He still couldn't do it. It was close, but the pain from his ribs wasn't allowing him to do what I'm sure he had done hundreds of times. He was proving my point.

The crossbow hit the wood floor with a loud crash. "Doesn't matter," he growled. "I'm going."

Arguing wasn't going to accomplish anything. I had to try to reason with him. "I know you want to go, Daryl, but I don't want you to go."

He swung his head around to glare at me. "Why?"

"Listen to me before you say anything, okay?" He begrudgingly nodded that he would. I patted the bed with my hand, letting him know I wanted him to sit next to me. "If you were at full strength, there would be no one else I would want at my side, but you aren't. What if we come across a group of walkers…"

"A herd."

I thought for a second. "Yeah, a good way to put it. A herd of walkers…so we come across a herd we have to fight through or out of…I'm not sure you can. If I'm worried about you, that'll put me in danger, and we're both fucked. Right? I know how to take care of myself. Please, just let me go alone, and I will be back the next day. It's a long walk to get out of woods we are in."

He was running my words through his head, and I couldn't tell which way he was going with it. "If you were better healed and stronger, I would definitely want you with me. I just don't want to lose…you. I'm just getting used to your grouchy, stubborn and not-very-talkative ways. Hate to have to break in someone new." I used my knee to tap his, and when he looked at me, I gave him a little smile.

"I talked a lot the other night," he said with a slight whine. Daryl wasn't angry, so I hoped he saw it my way.

"Yes, you most certainly did, but that's not usually you is it?" He shook his head in agreement. For only knowing him a short time, I had managed to understand him quite well already. "Do you see where I am coming from?"

"Yeah."

"And, are you okay with it?" When he didn't answer me, I pushed him. "Daryl, do you understand why I need to go alone?"

I could have sworn I heard a growl come from him, but I waited for him to answer me. "Doesn't mean I like it, but I get it," he finally said. "You'll be careful?"

"I will," I promised him. "I will."

Later that night when we went to bed, I noticed two things. He smelled really good. It wasn't like he was horrible before, but since bathing was hard to do, we all got used to being a bit ripe at times. Maybe it was more a naturalness about him that I was finding so very appealing. The second thing was when we were crammed into the tiny bed, his arm felt tighter around me. It was more of him holding me, then just his arm having no place to go. That's when I snuggled in as close to him as I could get with my arm going across his chest. As I was drifting off, I felt him intertwine his fingers with the ones I had resting on his chest. I doubted he could see the smile I went to sleep with.

The sun had been up for a couple of hours, and I was finally ready to leave. My gun was loaded and double checked. Extra bullets were handy, and my knife was sharpened compliments of Daryl. I took a days' worth of food in my backpack. I was planning on finding more once I started scavenging.

All I had to do was say goodbye.

"Be careful," Daryl said his typically gravelly voice a bit deeper. "Don't make me come and find you, 'kay?"

I think he was going to miss me.

I couldn't help but smile at him.

"I'll mark the trees like we talked about to show my route. I should be back tomorrow, but if it takes an extra day, don't worry." He nodded at me. I don't think he trusted his voice. We had become attached to each other as strictly friends so quickly. I could easily take our friendship to the next level, but I was afraid of screwing up what we had up. I took a few steps away from where he stood before I quickly turned back to Daryl and impulsively hugged him. His arms came up around me, and we held tightly onto each other like I was never going to see him again. But I was…I had to.

We finally let go of each other, and I turned and walked into the forest. I would be back. Daryl was the only man that I had felt safe with since this whole apocalypse happened. There was no way I was going to lose that. All I had to do was find us as much food as I could and head back to him. Easy peasy…right?

.

 **Daryl**

 **.**

I didn't know how long it was since Jessie vanished into the forest, but I was still standing in the same place staring off where I saw her disappear. Why do I feel like I just watched her walk out of my life? I should never have let her go alone. What the fuck was I thinkin'? I kicked the ground with the heel of my boot in frustration. I couldn't throw anything or punch anyone, so that pitiful action showed how far I had fallen.

It makes me feel like a damned loser that I can't even protect a woman and more or less myself. I hate that she's gone off on her own to find us food. That I can't help her with that is just fuckin' embarrassing.

Normally, I'd do whatever I wanted…always did, but she was right and even though I hated to admit it. She was right. I couldn't defend myself like I used to. But I've been in that position before and didn't give a damn. Now I do. Guilt was what got me to stay here. Except, I feel guilty either way. Jessie shouldn't be going off on her own, but if I went with her and she died because I couldn't take out a walker since my stupid ass ribs were still broken, it would be like I killed her with my own hand. I couldn't live with that. I have enough blood on them as it is.

I was barely living with the guilt I felt over Glenn. No matter what anyone said, even Maggie, my actions got him killed. My hot-headed impulsive reaction to Negan taunting Rosita was the reason he bashed Glenn's head into a bloody pile of nothing. I couldn't let someone else die because of me, so that's why I let Jessie go alone.

Finally, I had enough staring off into nothing that I turned away from where I last saw Jessie and headed back into the piece of crap shack that was our temporary home. We were so deep in the woods that the walkers hadn't made it back here yet. They would eventually, I had no doubt about that, but I just hoped that it was after we left. I looked at the thin wood walls that surrounded me and knew they would not withstand a herd – small or large. If we got trapped in here, I knew that meant certain death. I wasn't ready to die yet, and I didn't think Jessie was either.

Now that I was alone, I had no idea what to do with myself. I had the whole day, most likely two of them with nothing to do. I wandered around the room trying to find something … anything to help make the time go faster. Jessie had been gone not even an hour, and I was already climbing the walls.

I couldn't fix anything as there weren't any tools. Couldn't eat much since I was really low on food. I hated to read. I couldn't hunt. What the hell was I going to do with myself besides go crazy?

Sitting outside made me feel like a target, yet staying inside had the walls closing in on me. I was an outside guy. Since it wasn't raining or snowing, there was no reason for me not to be out there except I felt like I was out in the open. So I grabbed one of the old wooden chairs that were next to the small scarred square table and moved it outside.

I sat down and spent the remainder of the day just staring off into the dark green shadows that surrounded the little clearing the shack was in. This was the closest thing to me having my own place that I ever had. It was a piece of crap house and could honestly be knocked down in a strong wind, but in the week or so we had been here, it had become…home.

I closed my eyes and thought back to the other home I had…Alexandria. I had hated it there, but not always. Not at the end. The longer we were there, the more comfortable I felt. The people there got used to me and my solitary ways. And I was getting used to them. Then Negan had to go and fuck it all up. It was gone. The community, the people, were all gone.

After the night raid by the Saviors, I laid low for a few days before going back to Alexandria to see if anyone was left. I literally had the clothes on my back and my knife and crossbow. That was it. Lucky for me I had my zippo lighter in my pocket, so I was able to make a small fire at night to cook the squirrels I caught for dinner.

When I approached the community the front entrance was wide open. What I saw inside almost brought me to my knees. That sight was still as vivid now as it was all those months ago. The houses were gone. Black burnt shells was all that was left. I fought my way through a few walkers to the house that I had called home. It was completely gone. My bike and been parked next to it, but there was no sign of it. Hopefully, someone was able to use it to get away. I hated for it to end up in the hands of the Saviors…again.

There was nothing left for me here except death. I couldn't handle seeing people I once knew as walkers. The only reason I was able to finally convince myself to leave was that I didn't see any of my family walking around dead. It was many of the original members of Alexandria that I saw. All I could do was run out the front gate and closed it behind me along that chapter of my life. It was time to start over with just me. I wasn't going to let anyone else into my life. It hurt too much losing them. I had lost everyone that I had ever cared about. I vowed never to go through that again.

I could feel the same anxiety building up in me every time I thought of Rick and the group. It made me uneasy and nervous. It was a feeling that only started after Alexandria burned. And I didn't like it one bit. I got up from the chair and moved inside.

I sat down on the edge of the bed still thinking about my fucked up life. My plan to go it alone only lasted a few months. There was a time I was content to be by myself, and that was even before this shit we live with now happened. I preferred my own company to anyone else's. Always did. Now everything was different, you needed help to survive. Being alone just wasn't safe. Hooking up with Rick, Glenn and that group was the best thing that ever happened to me. They were the first people to treat me like I was an equal part of something. I wasn't "one of those Dixon's" anymore. I was Daryl.

And as much as I miss my pain in the ass brother, he brought me down. I was always the stupid "little brother," and I let him control most everything we did. God, I was such a dumbass back then. Maybe I still was, because look at me now. I decided to partner up with Jessie. Never hesitated…never thought to say no to her. What happened to me not letting anyone else into my life?

She had a hold on me that I didn't quite understand. There was something about her that made me look at her differently than I did Michonne, Maggie, or any of the females in our group. There was nothing sisterly about her to me. I felt shit for her that I never thought I could.

I carefully lowered myself down on the old mattress and thought back to yesterday. I was at the swimming hole I accidentally found, and I did something I hadn't done in a long time. After I got the grime and sweat off of me, I got out of the water. I was standing there naked with water dripping off of me, and I started thinking about her. The pool was isolated and private, and I wanted to share it with her…naked just the two of us. I had never done anything like that before, but I wanted to do it with her.

Thinkin' like that had me getting rock hard, so I stood there and jerked myself off imagining her and those breasts that I saw the other day. Even though she was wearing a bra, I still saw enough to know I wanted more…a lot more. So I did the first thing I thought of which was bolt from the room. I could barely look at her when I made my way back to the shack after seeing her in just that little bra. She thought I was embarrassed when it was really I didn't want her to know how bad I wanted her.

Then, last night when we went to sleep together, I held her tighter. I didn't care if she questioned it, but having her hot body next to mine was all I wanted. Nighttime was the only time I could get this close to her, so I took advantage of it. We had a friendship going, but I really didn't think she wanted me like I did her, so there was no way I was going to try to put a move on her. I sucked at doing that anyway. I'd rather have her at my side as a friend, then fuck it up and have her leave because I made her uncomfortable. So that's why I really liked our nights together. Jessie had no problem practically sleeping on top of me each night, and after all of forty plus years sleeping alone, I had come to enjoy it. She was the only woman I had ever spent the night with and that was completely my choice.

I was more of a wham-bam type of guy. Fuck 'em in the bar bathroom, the car in the parkin' lot, and occasionally back at their place, but when I was done, I was outta there. The last thing I wanted to do was stay over.

I wasn't sure how sleeping with Jessie would work. Having such a small bed for us to share at first I thought would be ridiculous, but damn even that first night we did it, I wanted her body next to mine. Seeing her beautiful face first thing each morning, took all of my willpower not to kiss her when she looked up at me with those sleepy angel eyes of hers.

But that wasn't gonna happen tomorrow. She was gone, and I was left here by myself.

I had no idea how long I had been lying here just thinkin' of her, but damn I had a hard one for her again. Do I or don't I, was running through my head. I had nothing to lose since she wasn't here, so I unzipped and pulled out my stiff dick. My male brain went overboard imagining what she looked like naked. As I pumped away, I saw her long legs wrapped around me with my body over hers. Instead, of my hand wrapped around my dick, I thought about what being inside of her would be like. The more I thought about fuckin' her tight pussy, the harder I got, and I knew I was about to come.

Still jerking myself off, I got up from the bed and took a few steps outside. I could come out there, and no one would know or give a shit. Now my imagination took me to the swimming hole and seeing her come up out of the water naked and glistening. Imagining me licking her tits dry, was enough to have me coming all over the ground in front of me. My body was shaking to another Jessie inspired orgasm.

She was consuming my thoughts every waking and sleeping minute. I couldn't wait for her to get back. I needed to see her and also make sure she was safe. These feelings were so weird to me. I never thought about any woman the way I was thinking about Jessie. All I could do right now was hope my body was healing and pray that she got back safely. If she never made it back, I'm not sure what I would do. I couldn't handle losing anyone else.

.

A/N - Hi guys! I hope you are enjoying Angel. Thanks to Elljayde who told me that Chapter 5 posted twice and we were missing chapter 4. That has been fixed. Go back and check it out.

It's been a long time since I posted here. For those that may not remember my style, I post consistently 3 times each week. I can do that because my stories are always 100% finished when I start to post. You get the finished product edited to the best of my ability. I love to know what you think.

Happy reading!

Walker Witch


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

 **Jessie**

I had been gone two full days from Daryl, and there was no way I was making it back tonight. Traveling in the dark through the thick, dense woods was nothing short of stupid and deadly. There was no way now I was going to make mistakes when so much was at stake.

After I left Daryl, I had walked for a couple hours before I started seeing signs of walkers and then actually encountering them. I had been able to avoid them for the most part, but as I got back into civilization as we used to know it, it was pretty bad. Worse than when I had left this area a little over a week ago.

Supplies were getting harder to come by, and the dead were all over. After searching several dozen houses, I lucked out finding one that was set back from the road a bit and that had supplies that no one had touched. Of course, I had to fight off the lone walker guarding them the basement, but once he was out of the way, there was a storage area that no one bothered to look at. I was able to fill up my backpack and a gym bag and still hadn't taken it all. This was enough for at least two weeks, maybe more and by then Daryl would be either in shape to hunt, or we could move on.

But for now, I just needed to get back to him, and that was proving a bit harder than I expected. First, I needed to find the trail that led me out of the woods so I could take it back. Both of the packs were extremely heavy so it would be a much more arduous trip back, but what worried me was that my reaction time wouldn't be as quick as it should be carrying these overweight bags.

The path I had to get back to was a couple miles away. I had gone just a little way further when I realized I needed to find shelter and fast. The street was filling up with the dead and I was greatly outnumbered. I was trying to quickly access my options, when I saw a driveway to my left. Couldn't see much past the overgrown trees and bushes, but my gut told me to go with it. So I did.

Best decision I had made in a long while…besides saving Daryl.

It was a long driveway, but when I got to the end I found a gate. The house was surrounded by a high and sturdy wrought iron fence. The groans behind me were getting closer, so I looked for way over to the other side. That's when I saw a square brick post, maybe three foot by three foot with a light on top. The brick may just give me a foot hold enough to climb up and over.

I tossed both of the bags I carried over the fence. There was no way I was going to be able to carry them as I climbed. When I started to see bodies headed toward me, I knew my time had run out. I grabbed the fence in one hand and as high up on the brick as I could reach and pulled myself up. It was a miracle and sheer adrenaline that got me up and finally over. I landed with a hard jolt on the other side…but I was safe.

The two heavy packs were in my hands as I hit the front porch. The crowd at the fence was starting to grow, so I needed to get out of sight. Eventually they would wander off, but not as long as they saw me or smelled me. I tried the door, but it was locked. I hated the thought of kicking it in, because then you couldn't lock it again, but without a key that would be the only way.

I put the bags down as I decided to try the obvious places someone may hide a key. There was nothing under the mat and the door frame as too high to anyone to ever reach up there. Everyone always hid a spare key, I just had to find theirs. I ran down the steps and looked for a fake rock. My parents had used one of those until I told them they might as well have put a sign there instead that said "House Key."

No such luck. There weren't any rocks in their planting beds by the stairs, just a few ornamental statues. An angel and two bunnies were on the right side, but they were solid. On the left, was another bunny and two frogs. Still nothing. That's when a small turtle caught my eye. It was partway under the steps, so I reached for it and the shell came off in my hands. There was my key. Hot damn.

I was in the house, with the key safely in my pocket in less than a minute. A swift walk through produced not one person or walker. I was safe. That's where I was now. The sun would be setting in an hour or so, and that meant I had another night away from Daryl. For a man I had only met about a week ago, how did he become so important to me?

While the outside world was filled with the roaming dead, I was safe and secure sitting on a bed with my head filled with Daryl. After what I had been through, trusting a man should be the last thing I wanted to do…but I did. Without a doubt, I trusted Daryl completely. He was one of the few good people left in this world, and I was lucky to have found him. Lucky for both of us.

I couldn't help but smile. Daryl and I were as similar as we were different. While I had always been attracted to the bad boys of the world, at least those that were able to charm the pants off me…literally, that wasn't Daryl. Bad boy he most certainly was, but a smooth talker no way. He was almost awkward with me at time, but fine others. I wasn't sure what to make of him.

He was sexy as hell, but I knew he had no idea. He wasn't charming or a ladies man, in fact, if anything he was the exact opposite. He was grouchy, argumentative, and would embarrass easily. He could still make my panties get wet by just giving me this look he had. God, he was so hot and was so clueless about it.

Thinking about wet panties had me looking around the room. It was the master bedroom of the house, so I might as well check it out and see what I could find. I rummaged through the dresser drawers and was happy to find women's sizes that matched my own. Daryl and I both needed clothes. He had even less than I did. I pulled open a drawer that was filled with lacy underwear. I owned two pairs of panties that hadn't been washed in days and one bra. I was stripping off my clothes without a second thought and pulling on someone else's clean panties with a matching bra. God that felt so good. Under normal circumstances, I would never do this, but nothing about life now was normal. It was clean, so that's all that mattered to me.

In the closet, I found two pairs of jeans that came close to my size. They were slightly big, but a belt would fix that. I grabbed a long sleeve shirt and a few that worked better in the heat. I threw on my new clothes before exploring any further.

The next closet belonged to a man. I had no idea what size pants Daryl wore. I knew he liked the darker colors and most of the pants were too businesslike or country club for him, so I almost gave up. But in the back corner of the closet, I saw clothes that were a complete opposite. I grabbed a pair of black jeans that looked like they may fit him along with a dark shirt. Then something caught my eye. There was a black leather jacket tucked in the corner. This guy led two different lives. There was the public look of business suits and khakis with brightly colored golf shirts, then there was the darker side that not many knew about. That gave me an idea. It was a wild card that most likely would not play out, but I had to see.

As quietly as I could, I crept down the stairs and explored the house until I found the door I was looking for. It was off the kitchen, and I guessed it led to the garage. I pressed my ear to the door but didn't hear a thing. I knocked as loudly as I dared, and still, nothing happened.

I had my knife in my hand as I slowly opened the door. Thank God nothing came at me. While the light was dim, I was happy to see the small window on the far garage wall let in enough light so that I could see. One car was there and one motorcycle. The leather jacket in the closet gave me the idea, but the black motorcycle boots I saw confirmed it. This guy liked to ride, and his ride was still here.

I walked over to the bike and wiped the gas gage clean with my fingers. It had three-quarters of a tank. If Daryl and I could get back here, we had transportation. This was the best find of the day. With a big smile on my face, I softly snuck back inside and closed the door. I hurried back up the stairs and only when I made it safely back to the bedroom, did I do a crazy dance of joy.

Daryl and I just had to make it back to this house, and we would have clothes and a way out of here. That's when I decided that I had too much to carry. I had overloaded the bags so trying to get them both back to the shack was simply ridiculous. I could hide the gym bag here for us to come back to. Now I just had to find a safe place to conceal it.

I looked around upstairs until I finally wandered into a child's bedroom. There was a toy chest in the corner that gave me an idea. I opened it carefully as not to disturb the dust on the outside with fingerprints. Inside, was simply a jumble of kid's toys, dolls, stuffed animals, and much more. I started pulling out everything until it was empty. Then I went back and got the large gym bag and placed it inside the pink toy box. Now, I piled everything back in a haphazard but purposeful way to cover the bag on the bottom. The rest I threw into the closet floor and partially closed the door.

If we could make it back to this house, we had food, clothes, and a way out of here. This was the best I could ask for. Now I just need to get back to Daryl.

The sun had set leaving me and the house in almost total darkness. Luckily, there was a full moon that helped to illuminate the bedroom a bit, so that I wasn't stumbling around the room. Since there was nothing else I could do, I flipped the bedspread over to be away from the dust and lay down on the bed.

I closed my eyes thinking of the man I needed to get back to. Daryl would be worried that I hadn't made it home yet. As long as he stayed put, I would do my best to back it there tomorrow. At first light, I would be up and hopefully out of here.

I wondered if he missed sleeping with me like I did him. It felt empty without him next to me. That's when I knew, I was falling in love with him.

.

 **Daryl**

 **.**

Where the hell was she? Jessie had left three days ago and said she'd be back the next day. That should have been two days ago. I want to go find her, but I'm afraid we'll miss each other, and I also don't know exactly where she went. What the fuck am I going to do?

I had been pacing outside for hours. The grassy weeds that covered the front yard are all matted down from my boots. I'm pissed. I'm so fuckin' angry at her and myself for letting her go on her own. She didn't want me, so what choice did I have?

I'm scared, and I don't like that. Not one fuckin' bit. What if she doesn't come back? I would have lost another person in my life. I've known her for such a short time, but Jessie had become more important to me than I wanted to admit.

These past few nights alone I felt lost and pretty damn lonely. That bunk we slept in barely fit a full grown man, but the two of us managed to sleep in it…together. And I didn't touch her. Not once. Not when her lips were slightly parted as she looked up at me and said goodnight each night. I didn't touch her perfect ass that was so close to my hand or her tits. Damn those were fine especially when they were pressed up against my chest. Nope, I never touched her that way. I sure as fuck wanted to, but there were boundaries I couldn't cross…at least not yet.

So I took care of my needs when she wasn't around. I hadn't even though about jacking off in months. Weird, but I'm not your normal guy, and I'm living in completely abnormal times. Since Alexandria, I had spent so much time just trying to survive, that I hadn't even thought about it. Plus, what a way to die- with your damn dick hanging out of your pants.

Would make for an interesting walker, that's for sure.

The afternoon sun must have been getting to me, putting stupid thoughts like that in my head, so I headed back inside to get a drink of water. I had boiled up as much as I could so we could have fresh drinking water. The stove was definitely coming in handy.

I had just sat down on the bed when I heard a loud rustling coming from the woods. My hearing was trained to listen for this from years of hunting and tracking, so the sound easily caught my attention. I jumped up off the bed with only a slight twinge in my side and grabbed the crossbow that was leaning against the wall by the door before rushing outside. I put the crossbow's front end down and stepped on the stirrup so I can use all my strength to pull back the string. Then I quickly load the bolt and have the weapon up and ready for action. I'm scanning the woods for movement, but I don't see a damn thing. The rustling has quieted down, but I still hear something out there. The brush moves off to my right and a fat raccoon bursts into the yard. My yard. I let the bolt fly, and suddenly we have dinner. Everything is quiet after that.

That's when it hit me. I cocked the crossbow. I cocked my fuckin;' crossbow! I couldn't even do it yesterday, but I could today. I wasn't as fast as I used to be, but I could do it again. That meant I could hunt, kill, and defend. I was back.

The whole time I gutted and skinned the raccoon I had a big smile on my face. I hated how weak I had been since those assholes jumped me. I'm not one hundred percent yet, but I was getting damn close. I could feel like a man again.

Once I had it cut down into strips of meat, I had to cook raccoon. The meat would spoil in the heat of the day if I didn't. I just hoped that Jessie made it back today. She had to because if she didn't, I didn't want to imagine what could have happened. There's no way she would just leave me and not come back. I knew she felt the connection we had, plus we had agreed to continue on together. Going it alone had become just too hard.

It was late afternoon, and I had eaten a few pieces of the meat that I had fried up. It was good to have a hot fresh meal for a change. I had saved plenty for Jessie, but there was still no sign of her. The sun was getting lower in the sky with the trees starting to block a lot of the light, but I wanted to sit outside and wait for her.

I had just stepped outside when I heard her call my name. Jessie literally fell through the path opening onto the ground. I ran to her scouring the woods behind where she emerged for signs that anyone or anything was following her. Nothing was there, so I dropped my crossbow as I bent down to help her.

"Jessie, are you okay?"

"Yeah, just give me a minute or two," she said out of breath.

"Are walkers behind you? People? Do I need to take them out?" I knew she was exhausted, but I had to worry about our safety.

Jessie slipped the heavy backpack off of her, and it slid to the ground. I moved it off to the side so she could sit up. That fucker was heavy. I was kneeling next to her when she moved so that she was cross-legged on the ground. That's when I noticed how dirty and bloody she was. She was covered in it, but it wasn't fresh.

"Is this blood from you or someone else?" I asked her.

"Not mine, well maybe a little from when I fell, but mostly walker blood," she explained. "I'm okay, but I just ran the last hour to make it back before dark."

"What took you so long? You should have been back a few days ago!" I knew I shouldn't be giving her a hard time, but damn it, I had been worried about her.

"Well, it wasn't as easy as I had hoped. The area wasn't overrun by walkers, but they were damn plentiful. Then every house I checked was pretty much cleaned out, so I had to go out further and further. Once I finally found what we needed, getting around with this heavy pack wasn't easy. I had a couple pretty close calls coming back. Then I had to go and fall down a slope I didn't see when I was running from a few walkers. Took the air right outta me along with a few cuts and bruises along the way. But then one of them fell down too and came after me. I took him out, but it was damn close, Daryl. That's when I smeared myself with his blood and gore making me look like this."

Jessie was clearly exhausted. I should have gone with her. Even though I was technically not strong enough four days ago, I was much better now. She should never have done it on her own.

"It's good you made it back," I grumbled. I was embarrassed to let her know how much I actually missed having her around.

"Thanks. It's good to be back. I'm tired, hungry, and an absolute filthy mess. I don't know what to tackle first."

I knew instantly I had to take her to the swimming hole. It was the only what she could get all that shit off of her. "Come with me," I told her. I stood up and extended my hand to help her up. Jessie took it with a tired smile, but I must have pulled her up too fast because instead of just standing, she ended up in my arms. I could tell it surprised us both for a second, but then she leaned her head against my chest, and we both just hung onto each other. At that moment nothing else existed for me except her.

The longer we stayed that way, the more I didn't want to let her go. It was such a relief that she was back. I had been ready to head out at first light to track her down, but since she was here, I wasn't going to have to do that. It felt so fuckin' good to have her in my arms again.

Jessie pulled back a bit and smiled up at me. Even as dirty as she was, I thought she was so beautiful. It didn't matter that her face was covered in blood and she had twigs leaves in her long braid. I still wanted her.

Her smile had me smiling back at her, and that was something I didn't often do. There wasn't much left in this world to smile about until I met her.

Then she did something that I didn't expect. She kissed me. When her lips touched mine, everything else ceased to exist. It was soft and gentle, but lingering. It was a perfect first kiss. I had never experienced anything like it before. Usually, kisses were sloppy and frantic because that's how sex was for me. Fast paced and getting down to the business of fucking whoever she was, was all I cared about. This was so different that I couldn't think to do much except tighten my hold on her.

I couldn't tell if it was second, minutes, or hours that went by before we both broke the kiss. Jessie was a little playful as she briefly pulled on my bottom lip with her teeth. I was still in shock, so all I could do was smile at her. She smiled back, before suddenly becoming shy and looking away.

"I'm glad you're back," I told her again. I found my voice was huskier than normal. I used my hand to turn her head back so she could look at me. "I really am."

"Me too. I'm sorry…" she started to say before I quickly instructed her.

"Don't be." Then I leaned down to whisper in her ear, "I liked that."

"I'm glad. But I really need to get cleaned up."

"Sure," I told her noticing how low the sun was in the sky. We could waste any time if we were going into the woods. I grabbed my crossbow and the heavy backpack. I didn't let it show that carrying both of these heavy things was putting a strain on my ribs.

I dropped the pack just inside the door. "There's some fried raccoon on the stove staying warm. Got him this afternoon with a bolt."

Jessie had hurried over to the iron stove and was picking up pieces of the meat with her fingers. "Oh my God, this is so good," she groaned. She popped another morsel into her mouth as she swung her head around to me. "You used your crossbow?"

"Damn straight I did."

She may have dirt and blood all over her including her face, but when she smiled at me, my heart about skipped a beat or two. "That's awesome, Daryl," she said. I could see that her excitement changed to something else, I wondered what was going on with her all of a sudden.

"It's going to take a lot of washing up in the kitchen to get this shit off of me. Do you think you could wait outside while I clean up?" Jessie asked. She had gotten shy on me again all of a sudden.

"Nope," I told her as I leaned against the door frame.

Jessie's shyness turned to anger, "Why the hell not?"

"Because I have a better option. Grab clean clothes, a towel, and the bar of soap. We're going to the swimming hole I told you about." It was time to share it with her. My fantasies of her naked in that natural pool of water were about to come true.

* * *

I meant to mention this earlier, but any similarities to Season 8 is pure coincidental. 75% of this was written before Season 8 even premiered. You will see what i mean in upcoming chapters.

Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

 **Daryl**

I quickly dumped out the pack full of the stuff Jessie had brought back. It was impressive what she had managed to scavenge for us. I didn't pay too much attention yet to everything as I wanted to get her to the swimming hole and back before dark.

Jessie threw everything she needed into the empty backpack, and we headed out the door. For once, she didn't question me. It was odd, but she didn't. We took our weapons with us as I guided her through the woods to the next best thing to a bathtub.

We followed the narrow overgrown path with me in the lead. My eyes and ears as alert as ever to any type of danger, but I didn't sense anything around. I knew we were pretty far into whatever forest area this was. Growing up in Northern Georgia I was used to this. Having just the trees and the birds for company is how I spent much of my time as a kid. After my mom died in that fire, my old man moved us to some old cabin in the woods. Some days I made it to school and some I didn't. School never meant much to me. The woods were where I learned to hunt at an early age. Hunting brought food to the table. All too often my old man drank his paycheck and taking down a deer, or even just a squirrel was how I was able to eat.

I hated when those memories came back. Luckily we were almost there, and I could concentrate on finding the fork in the trail that would take us to the swimming hole. Found it about fifty feet later.

Together we both stood on the stone ledge at the edge of the sparkling water. Jessie's eyes were full of excitement. "I haven't been thoroughly clean in months. This is going to be great! But…" She didn't finish, but I knew what she was asking.

"Don't worry," I told her. "I'll give you all the privacy that you need, but I am not leaving. I'll keep an eye out for walkers or anything else. So you'll be safe." I'd give my life to protect her from harm, but would she be safe from me? Knowing that she would be naked and that close to me would be awfully tempting. I was going to try my best not to peek, but who the fuck was I kidding. If I found the chance to, I damn well will. I shouldn't, but I would. Why? I'm an asshole guy, that's why.

"Thank you, Daryl."

Great, she's thanking me for lying to her.

I nodded at her and walked away. I found a place by a big rock that shielded me from her, but still gave me a good view of the area. This was off a narrow path with pretty dense growth on both sides, so I doubted anyone would come through that way. The trail was the best option.

It was quiet for a few minutes until I heard a splash, then another. God damn, she was probably naked in that water. And there it went. My dick went rock hard imagining what she looked like bare-assed naked in that cold, clear water. I counted to twenty trying to convince myself not to look, but it didn't last. It was sad that I had no willpower where she was concerned. I never did this to Carol, Maggie or any of the other girls in our group.

I was such a perv, but I needed once glance, just one quick look to satisfy my aching cock.

I knew I could be unusually quiet so there was very little chance that she would hear me move closer so I could see. I double checked that no one alive or dead was coming before I took a few steps back to look around the boulder I was standing behind. There she was standing in waist deep water with her bare back to me. She was washing her hair. She never wore it down and loose the way it was now, and I wanted to see that. So damn badly.

Jessie let go of her soapy hair and slid down under the water. She was down for fairly long before she surfaced. Her long black hair flowed down her wet bareback and floated behind her. She looked like a fuckin' mermaid with all that hair.

Now she started scrubbing her arms and shoulders, and in doing so, she twisted sideways so I could see her better. I no longer saw her just her back. Jessie would be able to see me if she looked this way, but she was intent on scrubbing the dirt and blood off of her. I got my first full view of her tits. And yeah, I hadn't seen any in a really long time, but these were in-fucking-credible. They would overflow in my hand perfectly. The cold water had her nipples sticking out. And they weren't the only thing that had gotten hard.

I closed my eyes for a second and bit my bottom lip. God-fucking-damn, I wanted to touch them so badly, but some small kernel of rational thought snuck into my sex filled brain that told me to stop looking. It wasn't right, and she deserved better from me.

So I forced myself back behind the boulder and adjusted my stiff dick to a somewhat more comfortable position. There was only one place it wanted to be and that sure as fuck wasn't stuffed inside these pants.

I didn't know what to expect after that kiss, but I knew had to take care of Jessie first. She had a rough few days, and she needed to eat and rest up. Maybe then I could figure out what was going on with us. The kiss had me confused, but definitely wanting more. What I had to figure out was it a "thank-God-I-made-it-back" kinda kiss or a "let's-have-sex" kinda kiss. It was one sweet ass nice kiss, but since it wasn't hot and heavy, it had me wondering what she wanted. If anything.

Well if she wants more, she knows where to find me.

Yep, standing here being a pervert watching her tits bounce as she scrubs herself free of the mess she was covered with. That's where I was. I was so fuckin' horny right now that I wondered if I'd have time to jerk off before she was done.

"How much longer?" I called almost growling at her. Didn't mean to come across so gruff, but she had me going crazy, and it was frustrating me.

"Not too long," she answered. "I just want to wash everything again, then it's just drying off and getting dressed. Is that okay? This pool is heavenly."

"Yeah, that's good." Damn straight it was. With as hot as I was for her, I could whack off pretty quick just like the last time I was here by myself.

Quickly, I unbuttoned my pants and lowered the zipper slowly as not to get myself caught in it. I stopped wearing underwear a few months ago. The one pair I had on when I left Alexandria was just not worth wearing anymore. I've been without since.

My cock popped right out it was so ready. I spit into my hand and started with a few long and slow strokes that quickly changed to a much faster tempo. I was seeing her in that water all over again in my head, but this time I was with her and my mouth was attached to a hard nipple. I imagined her throwing her head back and me picking her up and putting her on my dick as she wrapped her legs around me. The water was full of waves as she bounced up and down on my damn cock. Oh fuck, yeah.

"Just need to dry off," Jessie called out.

Fuck! She was out of the water, and I hadn't come yet but was so close.

"Okay," I managed to get out. Then knowing she stood feet from me with water dripping off her naked body threw me over the edge. I barely remembered to point my dick away from me as I shot my load into the bushes. There would be no way to explain why I was covered in cum to her. As it was, it was all over my hand.

For once I shrunk down pretty quick and was stuffing myself one handed back into my pants when Jessie called out that she was dressed and just packing up.

"All right for me to come over?" I asked.

"Sure."

I stepped around the large boulder that was shielding me from her and joined her on the rock ledge. The water came right up to the edge, so I knelt down and pretended to check out the water temp as I quickly washed my hand. The evidence of my feelings about her was gone.

"I'm ready," she said.

When I stood up and turned around towards her was when I noticed that her hair was still down. It was wet and as black as a moonless sky. It also was past her butt. "The water ain't too cold today."

"Thanks for bringing me here. This was perfect. I feel so much better now," she told me with a smile.

"You never wear your hair down like that. Why?"

Jessie cocked her head at me for a second, and I could see that she didn't expect that question from me? Hell, I surprised myself. My mouth said what the brain was thinkin'.

"Because it's too easy to grab and it gets tangled up in everything. That's why I wear it in a bun most times when I'm outside," she explained.

"You've worn it in a braid too." What the fuck? Was I writing an article on hairstyles?

"Yeah, sometimes. My hair is heavy because it's so long so I will give me a headache occasionally. It's something not many guys would notice." Damn, she was practically calling me on it.

Might as well finished saying what I was thinkin'. "Wear it down like that…tonight. Okay?"

That got me a smile that I was completely unsure of how to take. If we were in a bar, I'd swear she was flirting with me. But no one ever flirted with me, at least not a fuckin' long time.

"It has to dry anyway, but sure, I'll keep it down."

"Good. Let's go. It's too gettin' dark to be out here." I pushed my way past her and started to head home. I was short with her just now. Not her fault, just embarrassed because I was talking about her hair. She must think I got some fucked up obsession with it. The sad part was I did. I wanted that long hair draped across me while we slept and I wanted it flying wild while she was on top riding me.

And if course there it goes again. My dick was bulging out of my pants again. I had about twenty minutes to get it to go down. I was in front so Jessie couldn't see anything, but it would be fucking embarrassing if she did. During the rest of the walk back, I thought of anything but her, so I was damned lucky that when we emerged from the trail, I had myself back under control. Well, at least for now.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

 **Jessie**

I'm walking behind Daryl on our way back to the shack, and I'm wondering what the hell am I doing? It was a huge relief to finally make it back here in one piece. For a while there, it was debatable if I was going to make it back at all. I had several very close calls with walkers as I took that barely noticeable trail back. Daryl had me notching trees every so often so I wouldn't lose my way. Good thing because when you are running for your life, everything starts to look the same. Now add a heavy pack on my back, and I became a better target for someone's lunch.

Finally seeing him, made everything right again. He was definitely the partner I wanted to have my back these days. I also was ready to offer up my front and everything else in between too. And what on earth possessed me to kiss him? I didn't even think before I did it, but when he didn't pull back, we both kind of kept kissing. That's got me thinking that he may just want to move things along like I do. Initiating the kiss was bad enough, so if anything more is to happen, Daryl's going to have to do that.

I was so excited when he suggested the swimming hole for me to bath in. I had forgotten about it, and it was the perfect solution for getting all this disgusting dirt and blood off me. However, I had to play like I had never seen it before. There was no way I was going to let him know I followed him there last time.

We got there easily enough, and it was awkward for a brief moment with the two of us standing there on the ledge looking at the shimmering pool. I couldn't change until he left and he didn't leave right away. The place was a beautiful spot away from the horror we lived in. We made small talk before he told me that he would give me some privacy and he slowly walked away.

I knew that he was trying to be a gentleman, and I appreciated it but wasn't sure I wanted it. He would be about a dozen feet away from me while I was naked in the water. I was wondering as I got undressed how long his "giving me privacy" would last. There was definitely something between us that we had yet to explore. I knew he had felt the spark too, so I was counting on that he wouldn't be able to at resist taking a little peek. Plus, what guy can resist a naked woman?

The water was cold, but damn it was heavenly. I scrubbed the dirt and blood I had smeared all over me after I washed my hair. God, that felt so good. The two things I miss most in this world now were regular showers and decent food. Anything else I've learned to adapt and deal with pretty well.

I know he thought he was quiet but I was listening for any sound coming from his direction. That's why when I heard it, I turned so he could see my breasts. I was proud of them. They were a D cup, but I still had plenty of support left in them. So while I washed up my arms and shoulders, I made sure he got a good look. At least I knew he was sneaking a peek, which I expected, but he had no idea I had watched him. It was a bit of an apology for doing that cause I could have kept my back to the ledge the whole time and he would only have seen me from that side. And then he would never have seen the girls.

You're welcome, Daryl.

The sun had almost set by the time we got back. Daryl had piled everything I had brought back on the small kitchen counter. I grabbed a couple of fat candles and lit them around the room. We'd have halfway decent light in here tonight.

"Do you want me to heat up the raccoon?" he asked. "There's plenty left for us to have for dinner. Gonna go bad otherwise."

"Sure. I got some canned peaches for dessert. How's that?" I suggested.

"Good."

I rearranged the food a bit on the counter and found the bag of clothes I had brought back. I could tell he never even looked inside, as it was still tied shut. I grabbed it and headed to the main room. "Hey, I found some clothes for us. There's a lot more where this came from, but I took just a few things to get us by."

"Really, for me too?" he asked sounding surprised.

"Of course, I wasn't really sure if your size so I had to guess. Check these out." I handed him a pair of dark jeans with a t-shirt and black button down shirt.

Daryl wiped his hands on his pants before taking the clothes from me. I knew the shirts would fit, but I wasn't sure about the pants. He desperately needed a new pair as the ones he had on had more holes than anything else.

He held then up the pants to himself. "I think they'll fit."

"I'll go in the kitchen, and you try them on. The pair you are wearing has sure seen better days."

"Yeah, these are the only ones I've had since Alexandria. Never even bothered to look for anything else when I scavenged. Thanks." He flashed me a half smile with just the corner of his mouth lifting up a little. I wondered if he knew how sexy that was?

"Typical guy," I teased as I headed to the little alcove.

"Well, what the fuck else am I going to be?"

I chuckled to myself. Comments like that I was learning was so typical of Daryl that instead of annoying me I had grown to enjoy them. He was definitely unique, and I loved that about him. "Got those pants on yet?" I called out after a few minutes.

"Yep. Just a little big, but my belt will fix that."

I stepped out into the main room and walked over to him. Other than a little loose around the waist, they fit him well. Maybe, if we started eating better and regularly, the fit would be perfect. And I knew where there were more pants that would fit him.

"What about the shirts?"

Daryl picked up the t-shirt and held it up to him. It should work, maybe a little bit snug, which was fine with me. He had broad shoulders and muscular arms that would look great in a tight t-shirt. He tossed that shirt down and picked up the black button down one.

"Try it on," I suggested.

He put his fingers on the buttons of the shirt he had on but stopped. I knew instantly he didn't want me to see his chest, but that was stupid as I already had. "Daryl, just take it off. I've seen you without a shirt on, remember? It's okay. "

He didn't look at me but took off the shirt, and my eyes went to his stitches. The black thread stood out against his pale skin. I could take them out tomorrow. While the t-shirt looked like it would be tight on him, this one wouldn't be. It fit him perfectly. "That's a good fit for you. When we decide to leave here, we can pick up more from that house. I have food stashed there and transportation."

Daryl's head swung around as he took off the new shirt and slipped back into the old one. "Transportation?"

"Yes, sir."

"What is it?"

I sat down on the bed crossing my legs and just smiled at him. I could see him growing frustrated by the second. I was enjoying this immensely.

"Well, what the fuck is it?"

"A vehicle with gas in it."

"What kind?"

"The surprise kind," I laughed. He was starting to get pissed off, but I was having fun.

"Probably sumthin' stupid like a boat," I heard him mutter.

I was about to tease him some more when he pulled his big hunting knife out of its sheath at his waist and proceeded to cut the sleeves off the perfectly good shirt I had just given him. I looked at him in shock. "What did you do?"

"What? This?" he asked holding up the now useless sleeves.

"That was a good shirt!"

"And now it's even better. It's too hot for sleeves."

I could tell it made perfect sense to him. Sure, I had noticed he preferred his shirts that way, but this shirt was in perfect condition or at least it was. "Well, come the colder weather you will miss those sleeves."

"Nope, cause you told me you know where there's more. And by then we should have picked everything up including your 'surprise.' I ain't worried."

Daryl went back to the stove and divided the meat onto two tin plates. Then he placed them on the only table we had in the room. I went into the kitchen and grabbed the can of peaches that I quickly opened and two forks. Thanks to the previous owner we had the basic eating and cooking utensils and supplies. We both inhaled the food as it had been too long since we had a decent hot meal. The peaches gave us that little bit of sweetness that is always good.

I put the plates in the kitchen when we were done. I'd wash everything in the morning. I was just too tired to do it tonight. The bed was calling my name, so that's where I headed. Daryl came over and sat down next to me just as I yawned really big. It had been a really long day, and I was exhausted. "Do you mind if I go to sleep now? I know it's probably early, but today was difficult and tiring." I yawned again. I knew I'd fall asleep the second I laid down

"Could you do something for me first?"

Really? I was about to fall over I was so tired, and he wanted me for something. "What?"

He moved his shirt to the side, and I saw my stitches. "Can you take these out? It looks healed, and every time I move they pull pissing me off."

The room was pretty dark, even with the candles lit. It would be so much easier in the daylight, like tomorrow when I planned on doing it, instead of now in the dark with me half asleep. This was the last thing I wanted to do right now. "Could this wait until morning? It's really dark in here, and I don't want to nick you with the scissors."

Daryl didn't say a word as he just kept looking at me. He wasn't staring me down, but when his eyes softened, I had no choice but to give in. "Okay, okay. But if I cut you with the scissors, don't blame me."

I looked around the room for the best place to do this. "Alright, Daryl move the candles over to the table. I'll sit in a chair, and you stand in front of me." I grabbed my little kit and searched through it for the small pair of scissors I had. Then I settled myself in one of the straight back chairs. Daryl had moved the candles to the table, but I brought them closer to me.

"Alright, I want you between my legs." The second the words were out of my mouth I started to turn a bright red. That did not come out right at all.

"Okay. I never thought you'd ask," Daryl said with a hint of huskiness in his voice.

I hung my head. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry or be excited. Then I started to giggle and soon I was laughing as hard as I could. I looked up at Daryl, and he was laughing too. It was only the second time I had ever seen him do that. I'm glad my embarrassment could get him to relax.

"Alright, smart ass," I said once I got myself under control. "You know what I mean. Standing here it will give me the best light. And take the damn shirt off, I can't see your side with it on." There was still a small smirk on Daryl's face as he let the shirt slip off his shoulders and onto the floor.

I didn't say a word as I pulled him closer to me so I could work easier. Even though it was dark, I managed to get out all of the homemade stitches out of his side without cutting him. A couple of times when I poured the thread free I felt him tense up, other than that he never complained.

"You're done. I'm going to bed now. I'll clean this up tomorrow," said the fatigue pretty evident in my voice.

"Ain't had a good sleep in days, so I'll join you," he said softly.

Neither had I. I wondered if he had missed us sleeping together like I did. I was really looking forward to this, even though I knew I'd fall asleep instantly. At least I would be sleeping with him again.

The lone window was already covered and when I got up to head to the bed. Daryl put the chair I had been sitting on under the doorknob and tested the lock to make sure it was secure. I sat on the edge of the bed nervously waiting for him. Had he been teasing me when he said "I never thought you'd ask" or did he really mean it? I wanted to know…needed to know, but my fatigue was winning the battle.

Daryl blew out the two candles we had lit, and the room plunged into total darkness. He must have eyes like a cat as he always found the bed without a problem. I felt him get onto the bed and lie down. He whispered the words, "C'ere."

I lay down next to him and snuggled into my usual position up against his side. Immediately, I realized that he had never put his shirt back on. This was the first time he was without it in bed. He was feeling much more comfortable with me, and even though we had never talked about the scars all over him, I knew they affected very deeply. That he was comfortable enough for me touch them as I usually had my hand on his chest at night…touched me.

A few minutes went by with us both awake. As exhausted as I was, being next to him again was something I was taking the time to enjoy. My hand rested on his chest, and I could feel his heart beating underneath.

"Thanks for going out like you did," Daryl's gruff voice broke the silence in the pitch-black of the room.

I smiled. "Your welcome, but I did it for us, Next time we'll be able to go together. You've healed so much in the last few days."

It was quiet for a moment. "Goodnight, Daryl."

I felt his rough fingers touch my chin and tilt my head up towards his. I was stunned when I felt his lips touch mine. It was a soft lingering kiss that was gentle and loving. He broke the kiss first. I think I was in too much shock to.

"Goodnight, Angel," he said softly. "Goodnight." I fell asleep with his words still running through my head. Angel? That was something I could ask him tomorrow. For now, it was time to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

 **Daryl**

I was playing with fire. A big fuckin' fire. And it was inside of me. It was either going to destroy me or melt this goddamn ice-cold wall I had surrounded my heart with. For a guy that started out with so little, I had lost so much. Did I dare let some in in my life again?

Each night when Jessie fell asleep, I thought back to Rick, Carol, and the family. I had hoped that they all made it out after the attack, but there was no sign of anyone for days. They were strangers to me for the longest time. I wouldn't let anyone get close to me. Carol tried the whole time we were at Hershel's farm, but I pushed her away.

Every single time.

It was at the prison where I learned I actually had value. After being told I was nothing my whole life, I had Rick trusting me. I helped make decisions for the group. And I found the respect I never thought I deserved.

I missed them all. Each in a different way, but it hurt losing each of them. Rick and Carol had meant the most to me. Carol understood me better than anyone. She had an uncanny way of knowing what I was thinking and feeling even though I would never say a word. Rick was the brother Merle should have been. I went from hating the man to respecting the hell outta him. But they were gone. Along with Maggie, Carl, Tara, Rosita, Jesus, and even Lil Asskicker.

The pain of losing them and being alone was almost too much to bear. That's when the ice cage around my heart and soul appeared. If I was going to survive this world, it was going to be on my terms, and that meant I wasn't going to get close to anyone. Every time I did, I lost them. It was going to be Daryl Dixon against the world.

Then I met Jessie.

And she changed my life.

Right now, it was just good to have her back here with me. No more solo runs. If we did anything, it would be together. Having her curled up half on top of me sleeping once again was something I really missed. For a guy that slept alone his entire life, being crammed into this little bed with her was better than I ever imagined. I wasn't so sure that first night how it was going to work, but it did. Each night it had gotten better. When she was gone these last few nights, I couldn't sleep. I missed having her here with me. And I'm pretty sure she missed me too. At least I really hoped so.

Tonight, I took two big steps. First, I never put my shirt back on. Not even Carol saw me without a shirt. Only once after we took Alexandria back from the walkers, did I have it off around people. Denise was stitching up a knife wound, and there was so much going on that I knew no one was going to notice. Even though Jessie had seen the scars before, that didn't mean I was comfortable with it. But she has this way about her that made all my self-consciousness go away.

I wondered if she'd accept the scars inside of me as quickly as she did the raised ones that covered my chest and back. The scars that made me the man I am. The ones I can never get rid of. The ones that haunt me every day. She may be the first one I trust with them.

The other big thing I did was kiss her. Wanted to do, was scared to do it, but grew some balls and did it. Now if she hadn't kissed me first, I probably would never know what she tasted like. No make that definitely wouldn't have known. Women have always scared me. Back before all this shit happened I needed a few beers in me just to relax. I never did that teenage boyfriend girlfriend shit. No one wanted their daughter with a Dixon in the first place. I was too busy just trying to survive my life that there was no way I was going to let anyone else in and see the fucking mess I had to deal with. Then once I started to live with Merle, it was a whole different type of mess.

I was never comfortable talking to pretty girls. Hell, they never came around me much anyway, so that's why a few drinks under my belt helped. I'm not like Merle at all. Just the opposite when it came to women. But once one of us made a move, and she looked decent enough I'd fuck 'em. Bar bathroom, backseat of their car, or even her place didn't matter. Never my place, if I had one, and never overnight.

Only when I allowed myself to relax with Carol, Maggie and the other women in our group, did I realize I could be friends with them. Never had a female friend before, hell I rarely had any friends at all. Merle seemed to always sabotage that every time. My life was just easier following his lead. Now, it was a different story, and I was a different man. A better man. I could have friends and know they had my back. Even with the girls, I could be comfortable around them, knowing they saw me as a friend and nothing more. I was cool with that and still am.

But Jessie makes me think differently. So that's why with me completely sober, I kissed her without thinking or questioning myself. I just did it before we went to bed I had to feel her lips again on mine.

And son-of-a-bitch, she kissed me back. Just like this afternoon when she kissed me first, we both wanted it. But she ain't some bar tramp I'm going to fuck standing up in a dirty bathroom. I'm going to leave it with just the goodnight kiss and see where tomorrow takes us. She's exhausted from her days scavenging by herself and needs a good night's sleep.

I took one last look at the sleeping woman in my arms and dropped a quick kiss on her dark head. I turned off my brain from thinking about all of this crap that was running through it, and when I closed my eyes, I fell immediately asleep beside my angel.

It was well into the morning when I woke up, and that was only because Jessie sat up and moved to the edge of the bed. The room was still quite dark, but small rays of muted sunlight shot out from the edges of the towel we used to cover the lone window the shack had. It was long after sun up, and that was late for me.

"Where ya going?" I asked her as I stretched out my cramped muscles.

"Gotta pee something awful. Never went last night before we went to bed."

She got up and moved the chair I had propped under the doorknob, before carefully opening the door. By now I had gotten up and walked over to the window. I removed the towel that we used to cover it and checked out that side of the building.

"Looks okay on this side," I told her.

I watched her cautiously walk out the door. We never knew if walkers would have moved in during the night, so each morning we had to be careful taking that first step outside. If I had gone out first to make sure everything was clear, she would've had my balls. She's perfectly capable of doing that herself, but that didn't mean I wasn't ready if she needed help.

Jessie headed towards the woods that had been unofficially designated as hers, and I popped out and took a quick piss on the opposite side. Didn't even go in the brush like I normally do, just unzipped and let it fly. I wanted to get back long before she did.

When she walked in the door, I was back on the bed lying on my side. I had a small ray of hope that she would join me. The sky was a dark gray, and it looked for the first time in many weeks it was going to rain. The air was also thick with humidity. It was worse than normal.

"Looks like rain," I said as she closed the door behind her.

"Felt a few small drops already starting. Be nice to have a roof over our heads today," she said as she put the chair back under the knob. If someone or something was going to try to get in, we had to make it as hard for them as possible.

"Let's hope the roof is solid. Would suck to be stuck in here and still get wet." The shack was old and rundown so the roof could be the same way. I just couldn't tell.

"You hungry?" she asked.

I was always hungry, but I was so used to it that sometimes eating just got forgotten. "We got anything easy? Don't feel like lighting the stove."

"Let me see," Jessie said before heading into the alcove that held the small kitchen. When she came back, she was carrying a box. "How about a couple of these?"

Breakfast cereal bars. Enough to take the edge off the hunger. "Sure. Toss me two."

I caught the ones she threw me and ripped open the wrapper. I pushed myself up, so I was leaning my back against the wall before I took a bite. To my happy surprise, Jessie sat down next to me on the bed. We ate listening to the steady rain that was now hitting the roof. So far there were no leaks that I could see.

Being stuck in here all day with her was not going to be a hardship.

My mind was off daydreaming when I realized she had said something to me. "Sorry. What did you say?"

"Can I ask you something?"

Never stopped her in the past, so I wondered why she just didn't ask whatever was on her mind. "Sure."

"Tell me about these," she said softly as she placed a gentle hand on my bare chest.

"Why?" That came out more heated than I wanted it to, but her question surprised me. Then maybe again it shouldn't have. Not wearing a shirt and having the scars that covered my chest and back in full view would make anyone ask.

"Because they are a part of you. And I can tell you feel them here…" she said placing her hand over my rapidly beating heart. "And here." This time she moved her hand to touch the side of my head. "They are a part of you, whether you want to admit that or not, and I want to get to know you."

I sat there for a little while wondering what to do. My emotions were all over the place. I felt anger, but not at her. Anger that I had to talk about shit that never should have been done to a kid. I felt embarrassed by them. Here I thought I was being strong by not putting my shirt back on, but I was only kidding myself. Then surprisingly I also felt hopeful. Could I tell her about my deepest darkest secret that no one knew? Jessie was trustworthy, I knew that without a doubt. But so was Rick, Carol, Michonne, and Maggie, but I never told them. They never saw me without a shirt to even wonder what happened.

This was something I never talked about. Never. Ever.

Jessie waited patiently for me to answer her. After a little bit, she started to twist her hair, and I knew she was going to put it up in a bun again. I loved it down. I loved the feel of it when she leaned over me, and the ends ran across my stomach. There was no way I wanted her to put it up.

"Stop."

"Why?" she asked looking confused.

"Your hair. Leave it down, and I will tell you." I watched her drop the long black rope she had in her hand and her hair spread out around her again. I didn't know what it was with her hair that got to me, as I rarely noticed shit like that. Hell, Maggie cut her hair short, and I didn't even realize it, But I just fuckin' loved her long silky hair.

"It's pretty simple," I started to explain to someone for the first time. "It was my old man. He was a violent crazy drunk who spent every penny he made on booze. When he was drunk, there was no way to talk to him. If he got a crazy notion in his stupid head, there was no changing his mind."

"What about your Mom?" she asked with a tiny hint of anger in her voice.

"She was dead. Killed herself smoking in bed while drunk. The house went up in flames and took her with it. I guess I was about ten. After that, my old man was stuck with me, and Merle was rarely around. The asshole barely worked, so we lived in shit hole after shit hole. I knew he hated being stuck with me. He hated everything. These are from the belt he wore. Once he started beating me, he would get lost in it." I closed my eyes briefly as the images from back then came flooding back. The screams, the tears, and the pain were the worst things I had ever gone through. I hated my father worse than the Governor or Negan. When I heard he died, I celebrated with my own bottle of Jack. And I didn't hit nobody.

She needed to hear the rest, so I continued. "At sixteen, I had enough of the abuse, so after a particularly violent fight, which I won for a change, I took what little I had and left. Never went back to school and never talked to that piece of shit again. Eventually found my brother and was stuck with him until we got separated when he went to Atlanta scavenging with some people in the group we had joined. Probably should have found my own way when I got older, but Merle was the only family I had left. So I stayed with him. You know the rest of it."

"Thank you for telling me, Daryl. Did your father die before or after the world turned crazy?"

"Before. Maybe ten years. He had been thrown out the worst bar in the town he lived in because he was such a nasty drunk. Must have missed a turn heading back to where ever he was staying according to the cops. His truck went down an embankment and hit a tree bursting into flames. Merle and me didn't claim the body. We didn't care if they threw him out with the trash. We had wiped our hands of him a long time ago."

"Good. Men like that should be dead. People who abuse the innocents have no place in my world," Jessie said. There was anger in her eyes that I wasn't sure if it was directed at my old man or someone else.

She didn't know how much I appreciated her not saying how sorry she was. I didn't want or need her pity. But I respected her anger. That was something I could understand.

I slid down, so I was lying on my back on the bed. Jessie then snuggled down next to me like we do every night. The rain was coming down pretty hard, and I could hear the wind picking up too. There was no place to go, except to stay here which was perfectly fine with me.

It was quiet for a while except for the noise from the weather outside. We were lucky that the roof was holding up nicely. "Jessie, why did you come back here?" I asked her out of the blue.

"Why wouldn't I come back," she said turning to look at me.

"You could have just kept going with the supplies you found, instead of truckin' everything back here."

"I could have, but that thought didn't even cross my mind. I told you I was coming back and I keep my word. And…I like being with you," The last part she said softly, almost like she was afraid of what my reaction would be.

"I'm glad. I like being with you too." Then I added, "A lot."

Those words earned me the happiest smile I had ever seen from Jessie. I was pretty sure we both wanted the same thing. I wanted to kiss her, to touch her, and to fuck her. I don't use pretty words. Don't know how to, but I knew I had to have her right then. There would be no turning back for us. I was feeling stuff for her that I had never felt for anyone before. It was confusing and exhilarating at the same time. But I knew that if I had her once, it was never going to be enough.

Jessie had the ability to touch me like no one else ever before.

I looked into her angel eyes and knew she wanted the same thing. I was no longer afraid to let us happen. Right now. I had to have her.

I brought my lips to hers and Jessie eagerly moved into the kiss. This was no "hello" kiss or a "good night" kiss, this was an "I want you" kiss. It was more than I dreamed of filling an emptiness inside of me that I barely knew existed. I pulled Jessie up so that she was now lying on my chest. Our lips never parted while we adjusted positions. My tongue pushed against her lips and she eagerly opened her mouth to mine.

My hands rested on her hips as we explored each other for the first time. Her lips were soft but demanding, and we each gave as much as we took from the other. My heart was beating wildly in my chest I claimed her mouth as mine over and over again.

Then slowly she broke the kiss, but I could see the hunger still in her eyes. Jessie sat up straddling my hips. There was no way she couldn't feel the huge hard-on I had for her. It was hitting her right at her sweet spot. A little wiggle of her hips let me know that she knew exactly what she was doing.

"You okay with this?" I asked. My voice came out low and husky. Every bit of me wanted her.

Her answer was to lift off her shirt and toss it aside. Then she reached behind her and unclasped her bra. That joined her shirt somewhere on the floor. I got my first close up view of those beautiful tits. I think my mouth hung open for a moment in awe.

Jessie reached down and took my hands in hers placing one in each breast. "I am so very okay with this," she finally replied back. The smile she gave me as I gave each one of those tits a squeeze showed me that this was only the beginning. "I'm all yours, Daryl."

This was turning out to be the best rainy day ever.

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Hello Everyone! I hope you are enjoying Angel. I'm getting a good amount of people reading it, but do you like it? I'm not getting reviews, so I'm not sure if you like it or not. The more reviews i get the more people will read this too.

So...what do you think?

Thank you!

WalkerWitch


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

 **Jessie**

He wanted me like I wanted him. This wasn't just a convenient hook up of two people. We had too much at stake with our friendship for that. This was more. I had wanted him almost since the beginning, but wouldn't admit it to myself. During those long nights alone when I had left to go scavenging, I thought of nothing but him. I knew then that I was falling in love with Daryl.

I was just unsure of how he felt about me. I'd rather keep my feelings to myself than ruin the friendship we had. These days being able to trust someone was rare and I needed that to stay alive. Living always had to be our first priority. Even before sex.

The kiss was something I hadn't planned. It surprised me as much as it did him. I was so happy to have made it back because there were a few time I had been in deep shit with the dead. Only a combination of skill, determination, and sheer luck was what got me out alive. The kiss was completely impulsive. I just did what I had been thinking about for days, because I was so happy to see him again.

I kissed him, and he kissed me back. It wasn't a frantic let's-rip-our-clothes-off kiss. It was a more of an I-need-and-like-you kiss. It was impulsive, but it was right.

And now here we are lying together in bed kissing again. Except for this time, it's not going to end without us getting naked. I want this so bad. That's why when I saw him lying on the bed I sat there with him. Close to him. I wanted him to make the next move and thank God he did.

Believe it to not, I'm not afraid of him. Should I have been? Definitely. He was a man and men had raped me. Multiple times. The last thing I should ever want was one to touch me, but strangely I did. My head was able to put those monsters that abused me in the same category as the undead. Daryl wasn't like that, and I got that. That's why I knew I could let this happen between us, and damn I was ready.

Now I'm lying on top of him, and I can tell that Daryl was certainly ready. I could feel his erection under me, and it definitely wanted out. I already knew that he was big from seeing it that day at the swimming hole, but it felt huge under me.

Daryl asked me if I was okay with this. Was I okay? I am so okay with us moving in this direction that I took off my shirt and bra to show him. There's a shyness in him that I find attractive and adorable. I just didn't expect that from him. I always pictured him the type to leave a string of broken hearts in his wake, but I'm getting the feeling that's not the case at all. Even though there's rarely a smile on his face, Daryl is a good looking guy. He's hard and stoic, but I think he's that way to protect himself from more hurt.

I don't know if the shyness is just for me or women in general. All I know is that he's moving slowly…almost too slowly with us, so I sped things along a little by taking his hands and placing them on my breasts.

"God that feels so good," I sighed as he squeezed them. Then he pinched my nipples sending a wave of heat right down to my core. I just stared into his lust filled blue eyes as he held and massaged them.

Daryl then pulled me down to him part way and took a nipple into his mouth. "Oh sweet lord," I moaned as his mouth possessed me. It was when he used his teeth that I cried out.

"Did I hurt you? Jessie, I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'm not good at this."

I laughed at him. "You're wrong. You're so good at this. I love it…a lot."

The smile that spread across his face was beautiful and oh, so sexy. I hope to see more of it in the coming days. "You want me to do it again?"

"Yes, definitely yes!"

A second later my nipple was back in his mouth, and I was moaning as he claimed first one then the other. When I felt myself slip from his mouth, I pushed myself up to a sitting position. Both of us were breathing heavy. I slid down a little further and ran my hands up and down his chest. I had wanted to touch him like this ever since he took his shirt off last night.

My fingers skimmed over the hard ridges of his scars, before bent down to leave kisses along the path. I made sure to be careful with the new red scar he had on his side. When my kisses finally made their way down to his flat stomach, my hands started on his belt. When I had that undone, I popped open the button on his pants.

"Wait," he said when my hand touched the zipper.

I cocked my head wondering what was going on. "Why?'

"Switch places and I'll take care of the zipper," he told me. A little half sexy smile appeared in the corner of his mouth.

"Sure." I got up off him and stood while he got from the bed. The bulge his hard dick was making was extremely noticeable. I wanted to see that thing up close and personal, but right now Daryl had other ideas.

I went to undo my pants, but he put a hand on my arm. "No. I'll do that. Just go back to the bed."

So I did what he asked and laid down on the bed watching him. He didn't look at me, and I couldn't tell if he was self-conscious or concentrating on what he was doing. I didn't see why he was so slow with the zipper until I realized he was commando. With his cock pressing up against it, he had to be careful with the zipper. I was finding him underwear the first chance I got.

When he popped free, his pants hit the floor, and he kicked them aside. Damn, he was a sight to see. "Oh, wow. I can't wait for that."

He gave me a shy smile. "Sorry, I didn't want it to get caught. That hurts like a sumbitch."

"We are so getting you underwear, so nothing happens to that dick of yours."

"Why's that?" he asked as he climbed on the bed straddling me. His cock was standing upright towards me, so I took it in my hand and started stroking him.

"Because I have plans for it. Non-stop plans that include you fucking me as often as you can get it up." Daryl was finding out that I'm pretty forward in the bedroom.

"Got no problem with that," he mumbled before leaning down to suck on my breast again. His erection has slipped out of my hand and was now pressing against my thigh. This time he used one hand to hold it and the other to pinch the nipple that wasn't in his mouth.

I moaned loudly. How could I not since it felt so damn good. When he used his teeth on me again, I started to whimper. God, that perfect bit of pain he was causing me felt so fucking phenomenal. Then he let the one slip from his mouth he kissed his way down my body. Both his hands gave my boobs one more nice hard squeeze before they joined his mouth touching my bare skin. My head screamed "Hallelujah" when I felt his fingers pop the button on my jeans. Then the zipper lowered slowly…too slowly, so I raised my head to see what he was doing. I caught him staring up at me. Those expressive eyes of his were filled with desire. I could see how bad he wanted me and damn I wanted him just as bad.

Our eyes locked for seconds and we just stared at each other knowing what was about to happen. I couldn't wait, but he had to get my pants off for us to go any further. Just when I was about to do it myself, he gripped both my jeans and panties and pulled them off in one fluid motion. I was finally as naked as he was.

He crawled back up my body and lowered his hips to mine. The head of his shaft was against my wet folds, but he made no move to push it in. Instead, he kissed me again. Long, hard, and deep. Our tongues battled for control with neither winning.

That's when I spread my legs for him as wide as I could go. "You want somethin'," he asked in that low raspy voice I had grown to love.

"Yes."

"How about this?" he groaned as he slammed into me with one swift thrust.

He took my breath away. Literally. He was big, probably my biggest ever and even though I was so wet for him, it was a surprise. But one that I absolutely loved. If he was into hard fucks, I was going to be in heaven. I loved it the harder, the better.

"Hell, yeah. God, you feel so good."

That's when he started to pull out and slam himself back in again...over and over. All I could say was don't stop. Everything was building up on me so fast, almost too fast but there was no way I was going to ask him to slow down. I needed this. Just like this and I was pretty sure he was a hard fuck kind of guy. Slow and easy, just didn't suit Daryl, but this sure did.

I raised my knees up so he could get as deep as possible. He was hitting me in places that had never happened before. My breath was ragged and heavy. And just as the lightning bolt shot through me I screamed his name so loud I was sure they heard me all the way in his home state of Georgia.

.

 **Daryl**

 **.**

I never had sex like this before. We're not cramped in a backseat of a car. I'm not half drunk off my ass. I'm sober as the day is long, in bed with this woman that makes me think of shit I never thought of before. Her tits are un-fucking-believable. When Jessie put my hands on them, I couldn't believe it. I never was sure if women like guys doing that. Was it an act they put on for us, but the way Jessie reacted to me touching her, biting her, was something I never expected. That shit turned her on, and that got me even harder for her.

Now, I'm fucking her like there's no tomorrow. There might not be a tomorrow in this crazy world, but at least I'll go out after having the best sex of my life. And if we make it through another day, I know she wants to do this again and again. And I am more than happy to be her stud because I never wanted a woman as bad I want her. Now knowing this isn't a one-time deal and I don't want it to be, which is so unusual for me, I almost can't wait until the next time.

This shit is running through my head as I am pounding into her over and over again. I feel her nails clawing at my back, but that don't bother me. All I care about right now is now tight she feels wrapped around my dick. I never want this to stop.

Except it's been years since I had sex with anything except my hand. This feels so fucking incredible that I know I won't last nearly as long as I want to. I feel the tightness begin in my balls as they slap against her body. I know I'm about to come, but it's too soon, and I almost want to apologize to her when Jessie starts bucking under me and screams my name.

"Daryl!"

Knowing that she is coming under me is all I need to know, and I let myself go shooting my load into her over and over again. Finally, I collapse down on top of her trying to catch my breath.

"Holy crap," Jessie sighs.

All I can get out is a mumbled, "Yeah."

Our sweat soaked bodies are stuck together, but I don't have any intention of moving until I can regain the strength back in my body. Is this what I've been missing all these years? Holy shit.

"Hey?" Jessie says after a minute.

At least now I can lift my head up. "Yeah?" I say looking up at Jessie. "You okay?"

"Better than okay. Daryl, that was crazy. I never felt anything like that before," she told me. Jessie leaned up and kissed me. "Thank you."

"I thought I got too rough with you. I'm not a gentle type of guy," I admitted. Why did I feel like I had to apologize for the best sex I ever had.

"And I'm not a gentle type of girl. That was exactly how I like it - fast, hard, and rough. God, that was so good!" she laughed. "When can you get it up again?"

I couldn't help but laugh. Jessie was definitely different, and I really liked that. It took a little maneuvering in the small bed for me to slide off her, so I was on my back with her curled up next to me. I wasn't as young as I used to be so I wouldn't be ready to go right away, but I knew it wouldn't take too long. "Give me a little bit, but I'll be ready to go soon."

"Good. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, but you never needed my okay before, so ask," I said.

Jessie sat up on an elbow and looked at me. God, she was beautiful and naked. I'm really not sure I ever fucked in the daytime. Even though the room didn't get a lot of light, it was enough for me to see everything I wanted to see. Which right now was her tit laying on my chest. I couldn't help myself when my left hand started to play with it. I was never much for foreplay, and there was no afterplay as I was usually rushing to get my pants on and be gone.

"You're distracting me," she sighed. Then she whispered in my ear, "You can't hurt me. Distract me harder."

So I gave her what she wanted. I took her nipple in between my fingers and rolled it, tugged on it and just played with it. I knew I was getting to her and that was getting to me. I could l already tell I wasn't as soft I was a few minutes ago. "So what's the question?"

Jessie moaned lightly before answering. "If we are so good at this, then why did we take so long to finally fuck?"

Definitely not what I expected. "Hell, I didn't know if you wanted to. Man, I haven't done this since before this fucked up shit started to happen. Too busy trying to stay alive. And…ah…no one interested me. Till you."

"Well, I thought you were hot even when you were unconscious that day I found you. But yeah, I didn't know how you felt either. I liked you as a friend and then more. But I'd rather have you as a friend that had my back, then a quick lay and have you leave. I'm just glad we did this and we both good about it."

I felt the same way as she did. If sex was going to screw us up, it wasn't worth it no matter how off the fucking charts it was, but if anything it brought us closer. For the first time in my life, I wanted that. I never met anyone that made me feel things and want to do stuff like this before. I never wanted the girl to stay around after we were done, and with Jessie, I never wanted to think of her leaving.

"I don't…I haven't ever…done this." When Jessie looked at me in surprise, I knew I was messing up what I was trying to say. "No, I've had sex before." Shit, did you think I was a virgin?"

When she laughed at me, I gave her nipple a particularly hard tweak. "Stop laughing at me, or you'll get more of that."

"Promise?" she asked with the sexiest grin I have ever seen.

"What I mean is, I don't do this hanging around afterward cuddling stuff. I was always more of a fuck 'em and leave 'em type. But I like this…with you," I told her. I'm not one for declarations of how I feel. That was the best I could do to let her know what was going on in my head.

Jessie leaned up and kissed me again. God, that smile on her face is incredible. How fuckin' lucky am I?

"And I like this with you, too," she said before settling back down on my shoulder. "I am so glad it rained today."

"Me too, Angel."

"Hey, that's the second time you've called me that. I like it…a lot, but why?"

Damn, I hadn't even realized I had called her that. Might as well tell her. "Because when I first woke up, you were crouching next to me. I couldn't see you much except for this halo of light behind ya. It made you look like an angel, so I thought I was dead at first. Plus, you have those damn purple eyes that I can only imagine seeing on an angel."

I hoped that didn't sound real corny. So, of course, I had to go blow and add, "Sounds stupid, right?"

"No, not at all. I'll be your angel as long as you stay my man. Deal? "

"Deal," I answered her without hesitation. Then I realized we just committed ourselves to each other and it didn't scare me. I wanted this, with her. Nothing like waiting until I'm an old man of forty-two or was it three, to get my first girlfriend. Well, I'm gonna to look at it as I was waiting for the right one, not that I was just slow.

Got me a girlfriend. Apparently, miracles do happen in the apocalypse.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

 **Jessie/Angel**

What a great way to spend a rainy day. After that first mind-blowing time with Daryl, we had sex again two more times until he needed a break. Frankly, I did too. Sex with him is so damn good. There is something about the two of us together that works perfectly. I was never into the traditional loving missionary only boring sex. Give me hard, crazy any-type-of-position-you-want sex and that's me. Apparently, that's Daryl too. Thank fucking God!

I get a strong feeling that I'm going to be teaching him a few things. He admitted to me that he was more of a one-night stand kind of guy. Those types of experiences don't lean towards experimentation much, so I'll have to see what he knows. We've done missionary twice, and I rode him this last time. Damn, that was hot. I was bouncing on top of him, slamming him in as deep as I could get as he was squeezing my boobs hard like I love it. I know that he's never had a girl like me before, so this is going to be so much fun.

But, even putting the fantastical sex aside, that's how good it is that it gets its own word, I'm falling for him so badly. He has that bad boy vibe I can't resist. Never could. But instead of thinking he's God's gift to women, he has no idea about how hot he is. None what so ever. And I get him. He's wrapped himself inside a hard shell that he wasn't going to let anyone even make a crack in it, but he let me. And I just didn't crack it, I broke the damn thing.

Daryl is mine.

It may be pouring rain outside, and the dead don't stay dead anymore, but this is the best day ever!

So I'm thinking about all of this as I look for something to make for dinner while I'm wearing Daryl's shirt. I just couldn't help it, it smells like him. My boobs are practically falling out of the armholes since like all of his shirts this is sleeveless, but I don't mind. I know if Daryl were awake he wouldn't mind either. My man is taking a nap. Guess I wore him out.

I take the lone pot we have out to the stove. I dumped a couple of cans together to try to make a meal. We don't have too much left, so hopefully, he can hunt us up something tomorrow. I have zero desire to return to any type of civilization any time soon.

The pot goes on the iron stove top, but I didn't start the fire yet. I sit down in one of only two chairs in the room. The bare wood feels damp on my naked butt. The humidity is high with the constant downpour going on outside making the day pretty uncomfortable.

I glance over at Daryl. Both of us were lucky that day I found him. I saved him, and he is now saving me. I love feeling like this again. The excitement of a new man in my life, but Daryl is so much more than that. We both knew we could trust the other from early on. Without trust, you can't have a relationship, be it a friendship or love. And while we haven't known each other too long, we easily became friends, and now it's so much more. I feel more comfortable with him than anyone else in years.

I had a few short-term hookups with guys since the world went to shit. Nothing serious, but that didn't mean we didn't always find a semi-private place to have a quickie. The world may have taken a major spin sideways, but the desire to have sex was never going away. It seems Daryl may be the only one that wasn't still having sex. Except, that appears to have come to an end. And thank God for that.

I know I am smiling like an idiot, but he makes me happy. Happier than I've been in a very long time.

Daryl shifts in his sleep rolling onto his back making his long bangs fall across his face. I love seeing that face, so I get up and sit carefully on the edge of the bed next to him. Gently, I l move them aside so I can see him again. There's a softness to him while he sleeps that isn't usually there when he's awake. He's a man that I can tell has led a rough life, and he wears the weight of the world on his shoulders. And even though he has two of the broadest shoulders I have ever seen, I want to take some of that weight off them.

"What has the world done to you, Daryl?" I whispered. "And how can I make it better?"

Suddenly, I wonder how old he is. We've never even asked each other that. I suppose it would be a good thing to know, not that it would make any difference. He's got to be around forty or so, I'm thinking. I'm thirty-four.

Looking at Daryl's body while he sleeps I notice that there's not an ounce of fat on this man, but then again most of us are that way. Food is getting a lot harder to come by, so being hungry is normal these days. However, it's unusual to stay undressed, but we both are. In our little hideaway shack, we've never seen a walker or another person. It's so deep in the woods that any form of life hasn't made it back this far except us. We could be playing with fire because the last thing you ever want to do is run for your life and be naked. But at least for today, we are playing hooky from that world, and we are keeping the clothes off.

I had to convince Daryl that we should do this. I could easily tell it isn't something that he's used to doing, but I let him know that he would have easy access to me this way. I wanted him to touch me as often as possible. This isn't normal for me either. Now that's we've finally "done it" I'm addicted to him. He's a drug I can't get enough of, and it's barely dinner time on day one.

Now I'm staring at that wonderful cock of his. He's probably the largest I have ever had. It's not gigantic, but he's still pretty damn big. It fills me like no guy ever has. I haven't gone down on him yet, but I'm certainly planning on it. How far I'll be able to get him in, I have no idea, but I want him down my throat. Yeah, I'm fucked up, but I love the feel of a dick practically choking me.

As I am staring at his limp shaft, I notice that it's not as soft as it started out to be. Before my eyes, it's getting harder, and before I can look up to see if he's awake, I hear that deep raspy voice of his.

"Why are you staring at my dick? And why are you wearing a shirt? My shirt."

"I can fix that right away," I tell him. The shirt comes up over my head, and I throw it onto a chair. "I was going to light the stove and didn't want to do that naked. Plus, it smells like you, and I like that." Daryl wrinkled his nose at me like he thought I was crazy. I just laughed at him. "And to answer the other question, I was wondering how I was going to fit that big dick into my mouth."

He wasn't expecting me to say that. Daryl's eyes got big, before a small, but very sexy smirk appeared. "So when do you plan on finding out?"

"How about right now?"

By now his cock is full on rock hard. I crawl between his legs and kneel between them. The tiny bed doesn't give me many options for positions, so this is the best I can do. My eyes lock on his blue ones, and I don't look away. Both my hands run up and down his thighs several times until my fingers grab hold of him. I could see his breath catch when I touched him. Slowly, I start to stroke him up and down in a smooth rhythm, while our eyes stayed focused on each other.

I'm dying to get my mouth on him, but I love watching his face as I hold him. I last about another minute just using my hand until I can't take anymore. Our eye contact is broken as I bend over and lick all around the head of his dick. Then I do it again and again before I slide the tip into my mouth and suck on it. It pops out of my mouth, and I take it in sinking lower down on the shaft.

Now I'm using both my hand and my lips on him going up and down. Daryl's breathing is started to get slightly ragged as I sink further down his shaft. It will take a little bit of work to relax my throat enough to take him all the way in, but that's my plan.

After a few breaks so I can catch my breath, where I'm just briefly playing with the tip, I finally get him about three-quarters of the way in my mouth. He's right at the back of my throat. I hear Daryl start to mumble, "Oh fuck," under his breath a couple times.

I feel his hands in my hair now, and if I could I would tell him to just push me down on him, but since my mouth is already full of his dick, I can't. I suck in what air I can and go for it. My lips are against the base of his cock, and he's about two inches down my throat. I can't breathe, and I want to gag, but I am loving every single second of this.

"Holy mother-fucking fuck!" he groans loudly.

After a few second I pull back so I can breathe, but I'm dying to do it again. I'm panting as hard as he is.

"I can't believe you just deep throated me, Angel. Ain't never had that before."

"Well if you were so damn big, it would be easier. But I'm not complaining. This is the best dick I've ever had." My words put a big cocky smile on his face. "Now get ready, cause I'm gonna do it again and I want you to come at the same time. Okay?" The whole time I am talking to him, my fingers are wrapped around him pumping like there's no tomorrow.

"You sure?"

I flash him a smile. "Fuck, yeah I'm sure."

There's no way I'm going straight for the deep throat. I want to give Daryl a chance to get where I want him. Orgasms just don't come on command. So I start at the head again, and it takes me a little while using combinations of my lips, tongue, mouth, and hand to get him on the edge. I go down on him, once, twice, and on the third time, he's in as deep as he can go. Daryl's moaning and I give him a little extra push by squeezing his balls. That's all he needed to hit the point of no return.

.

 **Daryl**

 **.**

Holy fucking shit. I've never had a day like this. Nope. Never. No fuckin' way. Not until today.

Angel's got me in sex overload. I ain't never had this much fun having this much sex ever. She's the first girl I'm not looking to get away from. It's just the opposite, I want her more and more after every time. She becoming an addiction and I ain't even been fucking her for a full day yet.

But it ain't just the sex. It's her. It's watching her, talking to her, just doing anything with her. I think I'm turning into a complete pussy. My head is all turned around when it comes to Angel. She makes me want to smile, and I never do that. Never did it much before the turn and sure as hell I rarely do it now, but anytime I look at her all I want to do is smile.

She's no longer Jessie to me, but Angel. She was sent to me to save my sorry ass when I was about dead. I probably would have bled to death if not for her. Then she's got those damn eyes. Never saw me purple eyes before. Angel eyes. I got me, my own Angel.

And she has me in the palm of her hand. For the first time ever, I'm not solely thinkin' of me, I'm thinkin' of us. Except for right this second, I'm thinkin' about nothing except my dick that is down her throat. No chick has ever gotten me in that deep before. But even if she didn't have me in that deep, this was still the best blowjob I ever had. Damn, I had been fuckin the wrong chicks my whole life, then again picking up someone half drunk in a bar didn't actually get me a class act. Angel is the first woman I don't want to leave. I have no idea where this is going, but for once I want to wait and see. I'm not running off anywhere, and neither is she.

I want her. I want us. And I wanted to come in her mouth as badly as I need to breathe.

She's breathing heavy, and so am I. Angel's mouth is doing a number on my dick, and she's working her way down it again. I feel the tightness starting deep in my balls, and I know I'll be coming real soon. I ain't never had a girl tell me she wants me to come down her throat. Most don't want that, but not my Angel.

I'm watching her head bob up and down on me and ain't that the hottest fuckin' thing I ever seen. Her long black hair is swept over to one side, and I feel it against my leg. Even her damn hair turns me on. So I thread my fingers into the silky blackness as everything starts to boil up inside of me.

An "oh fuck" comes out in a low growl as I feel myself hit the back of her damn throat again. Angel grabs my balls again, and instinctively I push her head down on me as my body feels like it's exploding. I hear her gagging in the background as I'm emptying myself into her mouth. Only, when she pushes against my hands do I let her go.

She is a sight to see when she releases me. Her lips are swollen, her eyes are tearing from gagging, and there is a dribble of cum slipping down the corner of her mouth. Angel wipes her lips and sucks me off her fingers.

Damn.

I'm still trying to catch my breath as she throws herself on top of me. Her mouth is suddenly fused to mine. I've never tasted myself on anyone until now. What I always thought would gross me out, but it's kinda hot. Anything we do I'm finding that each one turns me on more than the last one. I'll never get enough of her…never.

Finally, our tongues stop battling and she pops one last kiss on my lips, before resting her head on my shoulder.

"Thanks," I whisper.

"No need to thank me for doing something I enjoy. You were a challenge, Daryl, but I got it where I wanted it," she smiled. She got it where I wanted it too.

"Never thought, umm women really like doing that. Especially the guy…well, you know… coming in their mouth."

Angel flashed me a sexy smile. Hell, everything she was doing now was sexy. "Some don't, but I do. Hope you don't mind if I do that a lot."

"Do I look stupid?" I laughed. "Angel, you can blow me any day."

"Good! Now I think we need to work on heating up dinner. Can you get the stove lit?" she asked.

"Sure." She got up from me, and we both finally got dressed. It had felt odd to me hanging around naked all day, but she begged and why wouldn't I want to see her body all day. Which meant even when I was not able to get it up again, I never quite got soft. She kept me semi-hard all damn day. 'Cept now I was done. This old man's body was not used to this at all. I felt better stuffed into my pants and not flopping around. Not to mention, that if we got overrun, I'd look pretty damn stupid fighting off the walkers naked.

After I lit the fire, I watched Angel heat up whatever she had in the pot for us. "Should I try huntin' tomorrow? How are we with food?"

"I was going to talk to you about that. We are getting low. If you could hunt, that will help stretch what we have. But at some point, we are going to have head back. We can't live here forever, can we?"

I thought for a second. Could we live here forever? Would the world find its way to us or could we stay hidden away from the chaos our lives had turned into? I was doubtful. Something always fucked up whatever good I had going. Why should this be any different?

"I can't see us staying walker-free. I'm surprised we haven't seen any yet. This shack won't hold up against a dozen of them banging on the walls. We should think about moving on one of these days before it's too late." I saw a hint of sadness in her eyes. I felt it too. This place had us living in a make-believe world, and that couldn't last. Reality always had a way of slapping me in the face at the worst possible time.

"So how much longer can we stay here?" she asked handing me a bowl of hot food.

"Not sure," I said honestly. "Maybe a week. We shouldn't wait until we run outta food. "I spooned in a couple of mouthfuls, before adding. "I try huntin' tomorrow if the rain stops."

By the time we finished eating and cleaning up, I had to light another candle to give us some more light in the room. It was still raining outside and the room we were in stayed pretty dark most of the day. Not much light came in through the only window we had so we had rely on candles to help us out.

I didn't remember the last time I had a day that I really did nuthin' at all. Well, except have a lot of sex. That's all I did and I ain't complaining. For a change, I was relaxed and not thinking much about what was going on outside these four shaky walls. I was sitting on the bed with my back to the wall when Angel finished up what she was doing in the little kitchen. I had one knee bent up and was bouncing my fingers on it.

Angel came over to me and snuggled herself between my legs. She didn't ask, just she did it. I sat there for a few seconds not knowing what to do. I wasn't a cuddler. Wasn't sure I even knew how. But then Angel took matters into her own hands and leaned back against my chest. Then she took my arms and wrapped them around her.

"Relax," she whispered. "Relax."

I didn't even realize that I had tensed up. I took a deep breath, and that helped. I wasn't nervous, but this wasn't normal for me. Sure we practically slept on top of each other every night, but that was out of necessity. This was different. This was cuddling…on purpose.

Then I realized that her boobs were resting on my arm and that was pretty good. I liked the way she smelled even though we both spent the day sweaty and I'm sure we stink of sex. The more we stayed this way, the more I was enjoying it. Maybe I could cuddle. If anyone suggested I do this a month ago, I would have fired a bolt into them. Now, this angel in my arms was changing my life.

Was this what it was like to be in a relationship with someone? Because it was pretty damn good.

We talked for a little while, well make that Angel did most of the talking. She asked me questions about weird shit and all before the world flipped. What did I drive back then? Old blue pickup for me and she had a Honda Accord. My favorite food. Cheeseburger and hers was chicken and dumplings. Favorite drink. Beer to her white wine. And it went on and on until we decided it was time to go to sleep.

Angel turned her head and kissed me before getting up. I was really getting into all this kissing. Then instead of me lying on my back like I usually did, I laid down on my side with my back against the wall.

"Cool. New sleeping arrangements," she laughed before joining me on the bed. Angel tucked her bottom into my crotch as she lay down in front of me. My arm pulled her back tight against me and stayed wrapped around her. I felt her wriggling her damn butt against my dick, so I growled out "Angel, quit your messing around. It don't have any life in it yet."

"I was just getting comfortable. That's all."

"Bull shit."

She laughed at me and turned her head to look back at me. "Good night, Daryl. I'm really happy that we are together."

"Me too," I admitted. For the first time in my life, I had a woman in it that mattered to me. Not only are the dead walking in this crazy world, but Daryl Dixon has a girlfriend. Two things I would have bet against and lost.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

 **Angel**

I've always enjoyed sex. I didn't really sleep around back in the day, but I had plenty of boyfriends and a few one-night stands. Didn't we all? Plus, I've always been comfortable with my body, and that helps. Daryl isn't as open as I am. I had to beg and plead with him to have a "naked" day. And in the end, he liked it. Had him pinching my nipples all the time and damn, I sure love that.

It's early morning, and I'm lying here with him pressed up tightly against me. This bed doesn't make much else possible. I was a bit sore yesterday. He's bigger than I ever had, but I love the way he fills me. No one has ever made me get off like he does. I don't even have to rub my clit at all. He makes me come just by being inside of me. I going to see if we can try a different position the next time, which I hope is this morning. He's had plenty of recovery time.

I shift my legs and realize that I'm still sore down there. Don't matter to me much as I can take a little pain with my sex. Yeah, I'm a bit weird that way.

I haven't felt that kind of soreness in a while, not since…not since that night, I was gang raped. Damn, why'd my head have to go there? I don't want to think about those animals while lying in Daryl's arms. He wasn't like them. He makes me feel good, while they made me want to die.

My head goes back to the place I thought I had tucked away. I had tried to bury it really deep because I didn't want the memories to hurt me again. But now they are back. Hands groping me, slapping me, and shoving my legs aside. My clothes are ripped. One guy has my hands locked above my head. I feel grimy fingers squeezing my breasts as my pants are ripped off me. Then it's one animal after another invading my body. After a while, I just lost all the fight in me and just let them do whatever they wanted. When the sun started to come up, they slipped away, and I was left half-naked and totally abused. No one came to help me from the camp I was with even though I knew they could hear my cries. Everyone had betrayed me.

I didn't even realize that I had started crying until Daryl asked me what was wrong. I thought he was still sleeping. It was too hard to say anything right then, so I just rolled over, so I was facing him and sobbed into his chest. He didn't push me to explain, he just let me get it all out.

Finally, when I was all cried out, he tilted my chin up so I would look at him. "You gonna tell me what that was all about?"

"If I start telling you, you need to promise to let me get it all out. It's the only way I can do it." I hadn't told anyone what happened to me. Then again, there was no one to tell. I had been living on my own for a long time until I met Daryl.

"Did I do sumthin' wrong?" he asked.

"No. You've done everything right. Something happened to me a while ago, and I thought I had buried it, but it came back just now. "

Daryl's look of concern changed. His face got hard, emotionless. If I didn't know him like I do, he would be scaring me. "Tell me, Angel. Tell me everything."

So I did. I told him how Jason and I had just started having sex. He and his friends had joined our group about a month earlier. I liked him, and I thought he liked me. We would do our watched shifts together because it gave us time alone. Time with him away from his two buddies. Until that one night.

"We were on watch and should have been paying attention to what was going on around us, but instead we were making out, and he had my shirt open with a boob in his hand."

Daryl growled deep in his throat. It touched me that he didn't like hearing about me being with another man. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not wanting to hear about another man."

"Just go on. This ain't about me you said." I knew his brusque words were just to hide his embarrassment about getting jealous. I found that adorable and it also helped me relax.

"Okay, where was I?"

"Some guy had his hand on your tit."

"Okay, right well, he was rougher than normal, and you know I don't mind it that way, but this was starting to get painful. All of a sudden, I heard his friend Evan say what nice tits I had. When I tried to cover up, Jason held my hands down. I saw in his eyes an evil gleam that I hadn't seen before. That's when I knew I was in trouble. I struggled against him, but he and Evan pushed me down to the ground. Their other friend, Sam, ripped my shirt open and pulled my bra up. I screamed so loud that Jason punched me in the head so hard I barely stayed conscious."

I could still see it in my clearly in my head as if it happened yesterday. Their smells, the dirt and the knowledge that I was powerless against them flooded back. I could feel my body shaking, but I'm not sure that Daryl realized he was growling under his breath.

"I got to get through this next part. Okay, once I stopped seeing stars I realized that my pants were gone. Sam was holding me down as Jason and Evan argued who was going to do first. Evan saying that Jason's already had me and Jason yelling that without him none of them would be getting any at all. I was scared, and I certainly wasn't ready when he slammed into me. I was dry, and it hurt like hell. It went on that way all night with them taking turns…raping me over and over. Towards daybreak, they finally left me alone. I had given up fighting them, and I could tell they didn't like that. Eventually, I stumbled back to camp and no one there would look at me. That's when I knew they had heard my screams and did nothing about it. I gathered my pack, cursed them out and left. I was on my own ever since. Until you."

Daryl didn't say a word. I had been staring at his chest while I talked. I couldn't bear to look at him as I told him what happened. There was always the chance that he wouldn't want me, anyone. I was damaged goods. But I didn't think he'd do that to me. But what did I know.

I finally looked up at him, and the tears started again. He instantly wrapped me tighter in his strong arms and held on until I stopped crying. This was not how I envisioned us spending our morning together.

"I'm sorry you went through that. If you ever see them again. Let me know. I will kill them. They will not live after what they did to you," he told me. I could hear him trying to hold back the anger. I think that's when I completely fell in love with him.

"You can kill them, but not before I cut their dicks off. Deal?" Daryl cringed slightly at my words, bringing a small smile to my face.

"It's a deal as long as you promise never to think about doing that to me. Okay?"

I reached up and put my hand on his scruffy cheek. "No chance of that. I like your dick too much."

"Thank fucking God for that," he sighed. His expression of relief, which was a bit comical, suddenly changed to one of concern. "Hey, you okay with us? Is it too much for you? We can back off if you need to."

Where was he all my life? He made me feel good about myself and us. I wasn't afraid of him. Not even a little bit. "You make me feel safe and free. I know a lot of women can't get past being raped, but I'm okay with you. I want you if you haven't picked up on that yet, Mr. Dixon. I want you all the time."

I was okay again. Daryl knew my secret, and that helped more than he could ever know. He didn't judge me or tell me I was stupid to have gotten involved with Jason in the first place. He didn't blame me when I did.

"I ain't never met a woman like you before. I don't think I'll ever get enough of you."

I smiled at him before saying, "Then what are we waiting for. Fuck me, Daryl."

He responded by crushing his lips to mine. It didn't take him long to pull back and tell me, "Clothes off now!"

I jumped off the bed first, and he was right behind me. Clothes started flying, and within seconds we were both naked. That's when I dropped to my knees and started sucking on his cock that was standing straight up. I needed that in me, but first things first.

"I thought…" he started to say.

I replaced my mouth with my hand, "We will, I just couldn't resist."

Daryl's only response was to give me that sexy smirk of his and I went back to sucking on his dick. I knew he was watching me and that was such a turn on for me. But he wasn't going to come in my mouth this time. Nope. I wanted him in me. Filling me. Deep and hard.

I let him slip from my mouth as I stood up. Placing my hands on his bare chest, I kissed him before walking over to the bed. He hadn't touched me yet, not as intimately as I wanted him to. I'm sure he wasn't used to doing that with the one-night stand style sex he was used to. I wanted to get him comfortable doing that and other things, but right now I just wanted him…inside me.

This was when I missed the king-size bed I had at home. Our bed was barely a twin, but we have managed. I crawled up on the mattress on my hands and knees and stayed that way. My ass was facing him. Daryl came up behind me and pressed his body against me.

"You wanna do it this way?" he asked.

I felt his hard shaft rubbing along my wetness as his hands held onto my hips. He was teasing me. Daryl was about to find out how much I love this position.

"Yes, and Daryl?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't hold back."

I spread my legs a little wider for him. I felt him grab his dick and when he had it positioned right, he thrust all the way into me. Even though I was expecting it, it was a shock that caused me to catch my breath for a moment. But it was exactly what I wanted.

Then he started to piston himself in and out of me. God, it was so hard and so good. I had to put a hand on the wall in front of me to support myself. He was filling me completely, and it felt so damn good. I think I started to whimper and moan at the same time.

"You okay?" he groaned.

"God, yes. Oh, fuck yes!"

He was hitting me in that right spot over and over again. I could feel my climax building, but suddenly it hit throwing me into a mass of spasms as my body bucked wildly. I couldn't breathe it was so strong. When I was finished, I collapsed on the bed, panting as I desperately tried to catch my breath. I didn't even know if Daryl had come. I had been so consumed with myself, that I lost track of him.

That's when I realized he was laying on his back next to me. I didn't ask him if he had finished because the evidence of it was dripping down my inner thighs. I could barely move, but I didn't want the only bed we had messed up.

So I pushed myself up and forced my feet to work to get me to the kitchen. There a wet a rag and cleaned myself up before heading back to Daryl. He was stretched out on the bed now, so I snuggled in next to him.

"Damn," was all he said.

"I know, right?" I laughed. "I swear that's the strongest I ever came. Wow."

We were quiet for a few minutes before Daryl suddenly sat up and I practically knocking me onto the floor. "Hey. What's wrong?"

"All these times we've fucked, we never used nuthin'. What if you get…pregnant?" he asked. Worry was written all over his face.

This world was not one to bring a baby into, and we hadn't ever used a condom, but he had no reason to worry. Maybe I should have told him that earlier. "Daryl, it's okay."

"No, it ain't. I saw what Rick when through with Lil Asskicker, and I can't do that. No fucking way." By now Daryl was sitting up running his fingers through his already messy hair.

I thought he was referring to Rick's daughter Judith, but I wasn't sure. That wouldn't happen to us…it couldn't happen. "Daryl, look at me."

He turned his head so I could look into his worried blue eyes. "I can't get pregnant. We're okay."

"You can't?" he asked me surprised.

"No, I can't. When I was in my early twenties, I was having some pain in my right side. I had an ultrasound which showed two things. My left ovary never developed, so instead of having two, I only had one. But the right one had a big cyst on it. They had to remove it along with the cyst, which left me without the ability to conceive. It about killed me back then, knowing I could never have a child. But now, it's a blessing. I could never bring a baby into this world. No way. So, we're okay." As much as the pain hurt all those years ago when this happened, I felt good about it now. Having a child in this world was dangerous, and I'm not sure I could handle losing one in the violent way we now lived.

I could tell Daryl didn't know what to say. How do you say to someone, "Thank God, you can't have kids" and not come off looking like a cold-hearted ass?

"I'm fine with it, Daryl. I really am. And now with you, we can have as much sex as we want, whenever we want and not have to worry about a condom. Okay?" I probably should have told him, but it just didn't cross my mind. I was so used to not having to worry about it.

Daryl lay back down with me and pulled me tightly against him. He popped a kiss on my head. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I don't want to have a kid now either, but if this was back when the world wasn't falling to shit…you would make me think about it. Never wanted kids, not how I grew up, but with you…I would think about it. But not now, no fucking way."

I'm usually not much of a crier anymore. The girliness I used to have is long gone. I'm tough now, tougher than I ever thought I could be, but his sincere words brought tears to my eyes. So now I was crying again.

"Before you worry, these are happy tears," I told him. "That was the sweetest thing anyone could have ever said to me. You are such a good man, Daryl."

He just hugged me. We were both changing. I knew it. He knew it, too. We weren't the people we were a month ago. I know it's only been a few weeks since we met and barely a day since we changed from friends to something much closer. But I knew already he was the guy I had been waiting for. The one that stole my heart without even trying. Now I just had to find the right time to let him know I loved him. Would he love me back?


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

 **Daryl**

This has been one crazy morning. It's been an emotional roller coaster, and usually, I'm not that way. Waking up and finding Angel crying, scared me. Had I done something to her? Was she changing her mind about us? I was finally part of an "us." and it was fuckin' fantastic. Was that about to end before it ever really got started?

I get her to tell me what was wrong and I am speechless. Never did I expect her to say me what she did. How can the passionate woman that I have in my bed be a victim of a brutal gang rape? How can she still want to be with me? I don't understand that, but she does. And I guess that's all that counts.

Anger is something that I am very familiar with. I've spent most of my life being angry. Angry at my family, angry at the world, and even angry at me because I couldn't fit in anywhere. Now the world is dying because some sort of virus or some shit like that isn't letting the dead actually die. And believe it or not, now is when I had finally found people that I fit in with. People that needed me and trusted me. I wasn't the angry asshole I had been. Now it only comes back in spurts – at the Governor, at those people eating fucks from Terminus, and at the cop for shooting Beth and killing an innocent girl.

Then came Negan and I was back to being angry all the time. He ruined all of our lives. First, he killed Abraham and Glenn, not to mention the others that died at his or by other Saviors. He tortured me, but that was different. I deserved that. Now, he's burned down Alexandria, and I don't know if any of the others made it out alive. I lost everyone that had ever mattered to me. I never thought I could hate anyone more than him.

I was wrong.

Those motherfucking pricks that raped my Angel were going to die. How men can do that to any woman, I don't understand. It doesn't matter that I didn't know her back then, it just matters that they hurt her. If I ever found them, I would kill them slow and painfully. That is after Angel sliced off their dicks. My girl has a vicious streak that I admire.

I tried to keep my rage under control. First, I didn't want to hear about her being with another guy. Sure we both have histories, but that don't mean I want to know about another guy that she messed around with. But to find out that he took advantage of her, and he and his buddies raped her over and over again for hours made me want to kill. I kill when I have to, not because I want to. These guys, especially this Jason, will die at my hand when I find him. I want to kill them.

I don't think Angel knows how fuckin' furious this made me. I let some of my anger out on her by being extremely rough with her when we just fucked. At one point I thought I was too hard, but she was as into it as I was. We both ended up coming harder than I ever expected possible. I had never seen a woman shake like Angel did. And when I came, I thought was going to explode. It was that crazy.

We've long recovered, and I'm out hunting for dinner. The sun is high in the sky again, and the rain is gone. The ground is still wet as I make my way through the woods looking for game. My head should be concentrating on tracking, but I had all this stuff from this morning running through it. It was a lot to process. A hell of a lot.

There's a light rumble in the underbrush, and I stop to see what it is. I'm still…barely breathing. Then a good size rabbit hops out with his nose twitching as he smells the air. Next thing he has a bolt through his neck and I have dinner to bring home. And as I made my way back, I snag a second rabbit that we can eat the next day. The meat won't last longer than that.

I gut them in the woods, leaving the entrails for another animal to enjoy and head back to Angel. About thirty minutes later I make it home to our clearing. I whistle so that she knows it's me. When I step out of the woods, I see her standing in the doorway. Her hair's back in a long dark braid that's hanging over her right shoulder. Just in jeans and a t-shirt, she still is the best looking woman I've ever seen. And she's mine.

"Got dinner," I tell her as I head towards the door.

"Fresh meat is going to taste so good," she said with a smile. "Let me get a pan for you."

I skinned the rabbits and cut them up into edible pieces for us.

"Are you hungry?" Angel asked.

"I'm always hungry. Why?" Being hungry was normal, the only time I wasn't was when we lived in Alexandria. That was until Negan started taking his tributes and wiping us out of food and everything else.

"I know we talked about eating this for dinner, but why wait? I can cook them up now. What do you think?"

"Hell, yeah. That's good with me."

Angel started a fire in the iron stove, and I did my best to bury the remains of the animals. She was making a rabbit stew for tomorrow, but today we just were going to eat the cooked meat. When we were done eating, I was full. That was a feeling I hadn't had in a long time. It felt good and made me want to be a little lazy.

So I closed my eyes on the bed as Angel washed up the dishes. Yeah, I took the chauvinistic way out, but it wasn't something I did often. I heard her call my name, so I looked up, and she was at the end of the bed. "What?"

"Could we go to the swimming hole? We both could really use a bath and well since we're both going to be naked…" She didn't finish her thought, but I knew exactly what she was thinking. And she didn't have to say it twice.

"Let's go!" I said popping up off the bed.

She laughed at me. "Let me get the towels and soap, first."

Now she had me thinking about her naked in the water again, but I was watching her slowly put shit that she wanted to bring into her pack. I'm sure it was only a few minutes, but it felt like forever as I waited for her.

"Okay, I'm ready," Angel said.

I grumbled something about it being about time and all she did was laugh at me. Glad, I could be her entertainment. What guy isn't going to get excited when his girl basically tells them he's gonna get some? Doesn't matter that we've been fucking nonstop since yesterday morning, my dick's trying to make up for lost time. Never had this much sex before and I loved it.

During the walk to the swimming hole, I debated whether or not to tell her what I did last time. I didn't think she'd be upset as I'm learning Angel definitely has a wild side, but as we got closer, I chickened out. Playing safe won out.

We both stood on the rock ledge looking out over the sparkling water. The sun was still pretty high in the sky with its rays bouncing off the clear surface.

"We should be safe here don't you think?" she asked me.

"We ain't totally safe anywhere these days," I told her as I scoped out the woods. "But we ain't seen a walker or anyone else around yet. We should be okay, but we need to just keep an eye out."

I had no idea how I was going to do that. How could I stay alert to everything around us, when she was going to be naked…in the water…with me. That's like asking me not to breathe. I just hoped that our luck stayed with us. At some point, it was going to change, it had to. Just don't make it today when I'm naked with my girl.

Angel started to get undressed, and so did I. Now, I've seen her without her clothes before, but the shack is kinda dark, and we are in the bright sun right now. This is my first time getting a good look at her. So that means I'm moving slower than she is and of course, she picks up on that.

"Daryl, what is taking you so long?"

"I'm getting it done," I mumbled.

"If you'd stop looking at me, you'd get undressed faster." She was right, but I couldn't help it.

"We've done it in that dark room a bunch of times, but I ain't seen you like this. So I'm looking. You got a problem with that?"

Angel slid off her last piece of clothing which was her underwear and kicked it into the pile of her clothes. "No, I don't have a problem with it. In fact, I want you to look at me," she said taking a step back.

I never had a woman show off her body to me the way Angel was. I only had my shirt and boots off, but my pants had suddenly gotten extremely uncomfortable. My dick wanted out. As I'm unzipping my pants, I'm still watching her. Angel's taken another step closer to the water, so the sunlight is hitting her perfectly. Her hands are rubbing on her tits and I'm doing my best to get my pants off and not get my dick stuck in the zipper.

Somehow I manage to get them off without mangling myself. Now all I got are my socks. I must look stupid standing there with no clothes, my dick as hard as a steel rod, and my damn socks on. As I am bending over to take them off, I watch Angel move her hands from playing with her tits down her body until she starts rubbing on herself. Hell, I've barely touched her there myself, and I'm watching her doing it.

My socks go flying. I want to do what's she's doing, but as I step towards her, Angel turns around and dives into the water leaving me standing there horny as hell. She was teasing me, and from the laughter, I was hearing, she enjoyed every single second of it.

Two can play that game.

I didn't dive in after her. Instead, I sat down on the edge of the rock ledge and dangled my feet in the water. I didn't take my eyes off her. Not even when I knew she was looking at my cock that was standing straight up or when I took it in my own hand and started stroking it. Never did this before in front of anyone, but with Angel anything was possible.

She undid her braid, so her long hair was floating all around her. My mermaid was back. She swam closer, but I didn't stop. Only when her hand touched mine did I stop and let her take over. I leaned back on my hands as her fingers worked magic on me. I closed my eyes, loving every single stroke of her hand until her soft wet mouth replaced her fingers. She worked me hard and fast, and it didn't take long for my breathing to start coming out in ragged gasps.

And just when I was starting to feel that build up in my balls, she let me go and dove back down under the water.

"Bitch!" I yelled at her as I dove in to join her.

I chased her around the natural pool for a little while until she ended up in my arms kissing me. By now the water had cooled my dick down, but it was nowhere near soft. I was never soft around her.

"You're a tease," I growled.

"Yeah, but tell me you didn't love it," she laughed.

"Oh, I did. I especially liked it when you did this." I was standing in the rocky bottom with the water about mid-chest height while she floated in my arms with her hands were locked behind my neck. I took my right hand and moved it between us until I cupped her pussy.

"Oh!" She squeaked. I guess she wasn't expecting that.

I was never a big foreplay guy, so I hoped wasn't going to fuck this up. I used a finger to part her lips before pushing it inside of her. I watched her eyes get big first before growing softer. I pumped my finger in and out of her.

"More," she begged. "More." Then she loosely wrapped her legs around me.

I had no problem with more so added a second finger inside of her. It looked like I was doing okay since her head was thrown back and she was bouncing on my hand. I slowed everything down, and she opened her eyes giving me a pout. I then took my thumb and felt around until I found her clit. That got me a second squeak. With my two fingers inside of her, I rubbed her clit with my thumb.

Her little squeaks, became "Oh, Gods" and then they simply turned into her moaning loudly. I had never been with such a responsive partner before. Angel had no problem letting me know what she liked. She also was not quiet when she came. I tended to be, but I liked that she was loud.

When I felt her soft walls tighten on my fingers, I knew she was coming. Her body was shaking in my arms, and she was crying out one long, "Ohhhhh!" The second she started to settle down, I pulled my fingers from her and grabbed my dick. It was rock hard again, even in the cool water. I positioned it at her opening and pushed it inside.

"Fuck me, Daryl! God! Fuck me hard!" She cried.

I put my hands on her hips and together we had her slamming down on me as I stood in chest deep water. The surface had waves flying across the top from Angel moving up and down. She was moaning so loud she almost sounded like a walker. I'm doing my best to keep my footing, but it wasn't easy. I never had sex this way before. Hell, I hadn't made a woman come that way either. Angel lets out a scream as she comes again and I'm right behind her. I'm doing my best to hold her shaking body as I come inside of her.

Her body goes limp in my arms, and I'm glad I have the water to help support her. Somehow I get us closer to the ledge when she lifts her head up off my shoulder.

"Damn, you are good," she says with a lazy smile. "I need to rest. You exhausted me."

Angel pops me a kiss before lifting herself up onto the rock ledge and lies down on the warm stone. I decide it's a good time for me to wash up. Even though we've been in water, I could still use a good scrubbing. Used to be I'd go for weeks without thinking to clean up, but I don't want to be that guy with Angel. Not anymore.

So I grab the soap out of her pack and head back into the water. As I washed, I started to laugh. We had just done, exactly what I had fantasized about the day I found this place. It was better than I ever expected. Everything with this woman is better.

When I'm done, it seems Angel's recovered enough to want to wash up herself. While she's doing that, I climb out and dry myself odd with a towel and start to get dressed. I think we had tempted fate enough being out here naked and vulnerable. I felt better with my clothes on, and weapons close at hand.

Only one other time had I done this. It was the day I found this hidden pool. I was in and out in maybe fifteen minutes. It wasn't as long as today, and I certainly wasn't as noisy as Angel was when I jerked myself off thinking about her back then. Now, that she's mine, I want her even more.

"This was a fun afternoon," she said as she dried herself off.

"Sure as hell was. You never cease to surprise me, Angel."

"Me? What about you? Using those magic fingers to get me off. Anytime you want to do that again, I'm ready." It amazed me how easily she talked about sex. That sure wasn't me, but I liked it that she could say shit I couldn't.

The sun had dropped in the sky by the time we headed back home. We still didn't see signs of anyone or anything. It was pretty much just Angel, me, and the animals. I just wasn't sure how long that was going to last. At some point the dead always found us. I just wanted it to be on my terms, not theirs. The scary thing was I felt our time living in this make-believe paradise was coming to an end. I just wished we could stay in this rundown shack forever. But since nothing I had ever wished for ever came true, I knew this would end up the same. At some point I knew we'd have to leave, I just hoped that wouldn't happen for a long while.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

 **Angel**

I loved waking up in Daryl's arms. He made me feel so safe. Even back before we started having sex, I felt that way. But something is different today. Not from him, it's something can't put my finger on, but something isn't right. He wakes up seconds after me, but I don't say anything to him. I know nothing has changed between us, that's not the problem. I'm uneasy, and I don't know what to do.

All it took was a tweaking of a nipple, for me to turn to face him and put my worries away. That was only temporary though. After another crazy morning of sex, where I ended up riding him as hard as I could, and I was basically collapsed in exhaustion on top of him afterward, we got back to our normal daily routine.

Except nothing felt normal.

We always kept my pack and the duffle bag semi-packed. Daryl went out to go to the bathroom, and I followed my instincts. I packed the rest of my stuff in my backpack and his stuff in the duffle. Then I added anything else we could need. I'd rather unpack everything if this odd feeling I had was for nothing.

I was zipping the larger duffle bag closed when Daryl got back.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

How do I explain this, so he doesn't think I'm crazy? "I'm not sure," I told him honestly. "It's just that something feels off today. Really off. I want us to be packed up…just in case."

"I've learned not to question shit like that. We got any rabbit left?"

"I packed it. Even the stew I made. Sorry." Guess I was a bit overzealous.

Daryl looked at me a bit confused. "How did you pack that stuff?"

"In two ziplock bags, I had. Could you eat something else?" I watched him basically roll his eyes at me, but he went to see what else he could find to eat.

I wasn't hungry. Instead, I dragged a chair outside and sat waiting. For what, I had no idea, but I wanted to be where I could see everything and not cooped up inside. A couple minutes later, Daryl dragged our last chair out and sat with me. He was eating something out of a can.

"You gonna sit here all day?" he asked in between bites.

"I don't know. Maybe." This was weird for me. I was never one to 'get a feeling about anything.' That wasn't me, so that's why today was giving me the major creeps.

Daryl scraped the bottom of the can with his spoon. "Then I'll sit here with ya." He took the can and threw it into the woods across from us and hit a walker in the head as it stepped out into the clearing. We both jumped up from our chairs and Daryl had a bolt through its head faster than I ever thought possible. The problem was, it wasn't the only one. It was like a door was opened, and they started streaming in towards us.

We only had one choice, and that was to run. I reached in the door and grabbed both my backpack and the duffle. They were heavy, but I didn't care.

"The back path!" Daryl shouted as he grabbed the backpack from me and slung it over his shoulder. He needed both hands for the crossbow. We hit the path seconds ahead of the walkers. There was a tree down across it a few feet in. Both of us vaulted over the tree and just ran. I looked back briefly to see the walkers falling on the tree causing a jam. That gave us more time to get away.

I ran until I thought I was going to die. Branches were whipping us leaving scratches all over any area of exposed skin. A hidden rock tripped me, and I went down hard, but Daryl picked me up and forced me to keep on running. We were making more noise that we should have, but neither of us cared. We had to put as much distance between the dead as we could. Finally, I had to stop. We were both panting hard, and I could barely catch my breath. There was a stitch in my side that felt like I had a knife in me.

"Think we are okay for a couple minutes," Daryl managed to get out.

I nodded back to him. That was the best I could do. There was a bottle of water tucked in a side pocket of the backpack that I grabbed and downed half and Daryl finished it. The empty bottle went back where I got it, and we took off again.

By now the path had disappeared. Daryl kept us going in a consistent direction. We were walking now, being much quieter than when we ran. I hoped we had put enough distance between us the herd that ruined our romantic hideaway. Hours went by, and we kept going. Every step had us walking further into the unknown. We were always checking all around us for any unexpected surprises. Finally, the woods started to open up a bit, and the brush and trees weren't as dense. That's when we began seeing walkers again. We were able to avoid quite a few, but eventually, we had no choice but to fight.

We both managed to have a few close calls. Daryl pulled a walker off me that had pinned me to the ground, and I took one out that had surprised him while he was fighting off two others.

When we saw buildings through the trees, we knew we had made it back to some form of civilization. We popped out of the trees into a back parking lot of a strip mall. We were exhausted and needed time to regroup.

"Let's try in here," Daryl called out as he ran towards a door. There was a rusted lock on it that he broke with a large rock. I completely trusted his decisions. He went in first with the crossbow up clearing the space. It wasn't overly large, but it was a supply room. We slammed the door behind us, and Daryl clicked on his flashlight.

We were alone and safe. For the first time since I woke up this morning, I could breathe a sigh of relief. He turned to me, and I sank into his arms. "Remind me to always trust your intuition," he murmured. "How did you know?"

"No idea, Daryl. I just woke up and knew something wasn't right. It was nothing to do with you and me, so our safety was the only other thing it could be. I wanted our packs ready and guess that was a good thing."

"Yeah, it was." He popped a kiss on my lips, before turning to shine his light around the room. "Let's check out these boxes."

I opened a box with my knife as he held the flashlight for me to see. Lots of junk food, which is good but not filling. Along with an odd assortment of items, it looked like this was maybe a convenience store of some type. I was shoving a handful of chocolate bars in my bag when I heard him go, "Oh fuck, yeah."

"What did you find?"

"Smokes. Cases of cigarettes."

I watched him look at the shelves until he saw a box that had him smiling. He ripped it open, and I watched him pull out a carton. Then he tore that open and took a pack of cigarettes out. He sniffed it long and slow. I almost laughed at him. That's when I knew that my Daryl was a smoker.

"What if I told you I don't date smokers?" I asked trying to keep as straight a face as I could.

"Wait, what? You serious?"

I nodded my head. If I said anymore, I would break out laughing. The look on his face was priceless.

"But…" Daryl looked like he had no idea what do to. I shook my head again. He looked down at the floor but put the carton back into the box. I couldn't keep doing this to him, he just looked too sad.

"I guess I could make an exception for the first guy who kisses me." It took him barely a second to smash his lips to mine. When I started to giggle, he pulled back and gave me a dirty look.

"You're fuckin' with me ain't ya?"

All he got was a smile out of me, and I heard him mumbling under his breath about crazy women as he stuffed packs of cigarettes into his pockets.

"What do you think is on the other side of the door?" I asked.

Daryl didn't have time to answer me when we heard walkers slam up against the door that lead into the store. "Okay, maybe we save that for another day."

"We gotta find a place for the night. No idea where we are, so we need to start looking," Daryl suggested. "We can come back here if we find a car. Then we can take more of this shit. But first, I wanna smoke."

I watched him put a cigarette to his lips and light it with his lighter. He inhaled and closed his eyes. He was loving that nicotine hit. "How long since your last one?" I asked him.

"Months, I guess."

"Well, you enjoy that cigarette, and I'm going to dive into this chocolate." He has his vices, and I have mine. It had been months too for me since I had a chocolate bar. There were cases on the shelf. I had tucked maybe a dozen bars into the duffle bag, but if he was going to smoke, I was going to eat chocolate. Three giant KitKat bars later I had enough and Daryl was done.

He moved over towards me, and his thumb wiped the corner of my mouth. "Chocolate," he said before licking his finger. "Let's go."

Daryl was first out the back door, and I was right behind him. The door closed, but with the lock broken there was no way to secure it. I just hoped that the supplies would be there when we got back. We headed towards the front of the building to get an idea what the area was like. It was time to find a shelter for tonight. I was exhausted from running so long and didn't know how much more I had in me.

 **Daryl**

 **.**

There never used to be anything better than that first smoke. Sometimes it was days or weeks until I could find a pack, but that first one after not having one for a while was the best thing ever. That was until I met Jessie. Except now I called her Angel. She saved my ass again this morning, in realizing that the walkers were coming. How she knew, I have no fuckin' clue, but she did. We were able to escape with supplies, and that made being on the run so much easier.

The cigarette I had earlier was good…damn good. Must have been months since I had one. That used to be the high I looked for, but now I got something else. Sex. Ain't nothing better than sex with Angel. Not even smoking.

Except, now I gotta get my head back in the game. We need a place to rest up for the night. There are a few hours of daylight left, but we're tired, and I don't want to chance anything.

"Let's head to the front and see what's there," I suggest as we pop out the back door and into the alleyway behind the building.

"I'm behind you," she answered.

We take off around the corner of the strip mall and carefully make our way to the front. There are walkers around, but we are able to zig-zag around most of them. There's another strip mall with a gas station across the street. That's not what we need, so Angel and me head down the empty road.

It took us a couple of miles and a dozen dead walkers to finally get to a neighborhood that felt okay. I chose a house with a second story to check out. I wanted to be able to get up and away from any walkers outside. The farther distance we could put between them and us, the better. Even if that distance was up.

"In here. I'll go first." Angel nodded to me, and when I turned the knob, the door swung open.

We cleared the downstairs first, and then we went up. I could tell the house was pretty well stripped of anything usable, but all we needed was a safe place for the night. Supplies we had.

"Looks good. We can stay here tonight and move on in the morning."

"Thank God," Angel sighed. Her fatigue was written all over her face. She never slowed or complained once, but I could see how exhausted she was.

I looked around and decided we could use the sofa to block the door. Once, that was done, I put a chair under the knob for the back door, and that was the best we could do.

"Which room do you want?" Angel asked as we headed upstairs.

"You choose," I told her.

"Then we are taking the one with the bigger bed," she said.

"Why? We always made do with a smaller one." I kinda liked having her sleeping practically on top of me. That made me wonder if she did.

I watched her head towards the back of the hall. "This is it," she decided.

Angel headed into the room and dropped the duffle on the floor. I put the backpack next to it and placed my crossbow on a chair for easy access. "What we got to eat?"

One of our quick breaks from running we ate some of the rabbit stew she had made. But in the heat of the day, I was sure it wouldn't keep, so we tossed the rest.

"Eat this, and we have crackers too."

She tossed me a can of spaghetti and a fork. It was back to eating cold crap out of a can. I washed down the stale crackers with some water as the sun started to set. We had found a place to stay, just in time.

"So why this room?" I asked again.

Angel flashed me a sexy smile. "The bed of course. It's the biggest one."

"I didn't mind the smaller one we had," I admitted.

She walked up to me and placed a hand on my cheek. "Neither did I, but a bed isn't only for sleeping. And this one will give us plenty of room for some fun."

Now I was understood and liked where she was going. I just thought she was going to be too tired for any fooling around. Maybe I was wrong. And with that idea now in my head, my other head started to perk up too. "Sounds good to me."

"Yeah, but we're going to get some sleep first," she chuckled. "I can already see it growing in your pants, so you just tell that dick of yours to relax. I'm too exhausted to enjoy it. When we wake up, then I'm up for anything, but right now, I need some sleep."

I didn't know of one guy that could control what his dick did. I sure as hell couldn't. Angel hints at having sex, I'm gonna get hard. Angel takes off any piece of clothing, and it's gonna be standing up trying to get out. Angel just looks at me, and I might as well just apologize now, cause every fuckin' thing she does makes me rock hard.

"Not my fault. You started it by saying the bed was good for having fun. It wants to have fun. "

Aren't you exhausted?" she asked me as she crawled up on the bed.

"Hell yeah, but he isn't," I groaned. Angel just laughed at me as I joined her on the mattress. I lay down on my back, and she snuggled up against me. At least we weren't falling off the edge of the bed like it was at the shack.

She had a hand on my chest and one leg partway over mine. I closed my eyes in frustration and knew I had no reason to feel that way. It was just that I had become addicted to her body and sex. Feeling the way I do for her, and having her want me, had me horny for her all the time. It had only been a couple days since we started sleeping together, but I had never experienced anything like this before.

My brain registers that her hand which had been playing with the buttons on my shirt was now on my stomach and still moving. What was she up to? She tells me one thing, but the direction her hand is going tells me that maybe she's not as tired as she thought.

Yep. Her fingers grab me through my pants and whatever thoughts my dick had of softening, just took an about-face and its rock hard in a second. A deep groan escapes from me, I just can't help it. I love her hands on me.

"Change your mind?"

"Nope. Just saying hi, that's all."

Angel is a cock tease.

I mutter a few choice curses under my breath, which has her laughing. "That's not funny. You started this, and I'm the one that's gonna be left with blue balls." I knew growling at her was juvenile, but fuck she's got me all hot and hard with no plans to relieve it. "

"I'm sorry, Daryl." Somehow her apology doesn't come off as sincere…not at all. In fact, she still rubbing me through the jeans I have on. And rubbing me and rubbing me.

Then she stops. Or at least I thought she did, but I feel her fingers slide just under the top of my pants. Is she just a major tease that that is killing me, or is she going all the way under to actually touch me? I'm praying for the latter and wishing my belt wasn't pulled as tight as it is.

"Go for it," I whisper into her hair. "Please." Yeah, that's me begging for her not to stop.

Pitiful. Fuckin' pitiful.

Angel doesn't say a thing as she pushes her hand a little further under my jeans. I can tell it's a tight squeeze, so I reach over with my right hand and pop my belt loose. Next, it's the top button and finally, I lower the zipper with Angel's hand covering my prized possession. I really need to find button fly pants or underwear. Something that doesn't put my dick in jeopardy of getting caught in the zipper, because now that I actually have a sex life for the first time ever, these pants come off much more often.

I'm confused, but I don't care. One minute she says she's going to sleep because she's too tired and the next she's got me in her hand.

"Better?" she giggled softly.

"Fuck yeah."

I'm just lying on my back with Angel giving me a hand job. Damn, this was nice. Her hand sure felt a helluva lot better than mine. I look down and drop a kiss on her dark head. Angel looked up at me, and this time her lips met mine. It wasn't like the wild and crazy kisses of the past. It was slow and loving. Not our usual style, but we had enough crazy today as it was.

The kisses went on for a little while until I could feel the tension in me growing quickly. "Ah, Angel. I'm gonna come. What we gonna do?"

She didn't answer me. Angel just shifted off me on the bed, and the next thing I know is she has me encased in that damn incredible mouth of hers. It took only a minute or two of her going down on me for me to give her a brief warning groan as I erupted into her mouth. Damn, that felt so fuckin' good.

Angel crawls back up to me again, and next thing I know she's sound asleep curled into my side. I joined her a few seconds later. Nothing better than going to sleep fully satisfied while holding onto a beautiful woman. Yeah, that's me, Daryl Dixon. If anyone ever told me this would happen to me, I would have bet everything I had that they were wrong. And I would've lost. This is the only time I like being a loser.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

 **Angel**

I did feel guilty for teasing Daryl. That's why as tired as I was, he got the hand job with the bonus at the end. My mouth was the easiest place for him to come. No fuss, no mess. Then I slept like a rock until this morning. Must have been close to twelve solid hours and that felt damn good. In fact, I was wide awake and ready for our day as I lay curled up next to Daryl.

He was still asleep, which was unusual for him. Then again, yesterday was such an exhausting day Daryl deserves to sleep in. We both ran forever or at least that's what it felt like. I was so tired when we found the right house, I was ready to just collapse on the bed. Sleeping was all I wanted to do, but my hand got frisky. It's like I gravitate to him no matter what. So I started something I really didn't want to finish, but that was being very unfair to Daryl. It's not like me to be a tease, so he got an old fashion hand job. Best I could do, but I sure didn't hear him complaining.

Now it's morning. The birds are chirping outside while the bright sunshine is streaming in the windows. I could almost forget for a second that the world has changed. Two lovers sleeping together in a typical size bed, in a regular house is what this feels like. I would love to have met him back before the turn. He's the exact type of guy that I have always been drawn to. Except, no one has ever been like him. I love that he's unique and different and that he's mine.

I stare at his handsome face. It's relaxed while he sleeps. That's so not the case when he's awake. Daryl tends to be tense and on edge a lot, which I oddly find attractive. His bangs are in his face again, so I gently brush them aside. He's a hard man, who's had a difficult life and deserves a better one. I'm hoping to show him that, and I think he's relaxing. Hell, he's even laughed a few times. Daryl needs to smile more, and that is my goal.

I'm not sure how long we can stay here. I know we'll be looking to move on today at some point as this house is not safe or secure here for long. The locks on both doors are flimsy, and we could have company at any time. But for just a little while, I don't want to think about that. All I want to do is be with Daryl. We're the same, yet we're not. He tends to be dark and broody, and while I can be that way, that's not me. I'm more crazy and easy going. Or at least I used to be. I see him bringing some of my old personality out, and he's not even trying. I get him, and his quirks and he gets me.

I hold back a giggle. Don't know why me makes me get giddy like that, but he does. It doesn't help that he never fixed his pants last night, so as he's sleeping his cock is hanging out of his fly. And as with most mornings, he's already hard. My Daryl wakes up with a boner every day. Even before we got together, he was like that, and I just pretended not to notice.

Except, I'm not only noticing…I want it.

Slowly, I slide away from him and move down the bed. As much as I loved our piece of crap shack and that little cot, having a large bed, is so nice. Daryl shifts in his sleep, but I managed to get off the mattress without him waking up. I walk over to the window to check out the situation outside. A handful of walkers roam the street, but otherwise, it seems quiet.

I strip myself naked. My anticipated morning activities do not include clothes, just a lot of hot and heavy sex. Who knows the next time we get the chance to take it easy this way. Gently, I climb back on the bed and as far as I can tell he's still sleeping.

Crouching down by his waist, my hands don't even touch him, just my mouth. First, I swirl my tongue around the head of his shaft. God, he was blessed with what I think is at least a nine-inch dick. How could any woman ever let him get away?

After a few licks, I suck him into my mouth. I'm gentle with him as I want Daryl to wake up, just not try to bolt out of bed thinking something's attacking him. I am, but my intentions are only good. So good.

Slowly I work further down, trying to keep his pants open to give me better access. I am absolutely enjoying myself.

"I was having the best fuckin' dream," he mumbles. Good, he's woken up. "I was lying in bed, and there was a naked woman who was sucking on my dick. Damn that fuckin' felt good, and I was pissed I that I woke up. 'Cept that's when I realized it wasn't a dream and actually I have a hot naked goddamn woman sucking on my dick for real. What a damn fine way to wake up."

I felt his hand rub my bare ass in appreciation. My mouth never stopped moving, but my hands started to. I grabbed the waistband of his jeans and began to pull them down the best I could. Daryl lifted his hips, and without too much trouble, we got them down, and he was able to kick them off. Then he sat up trying to get his shirt off and after a lot of grumbling, with me trying not to laugh, that hit the floor too.

I knew me going down on him was only going to be a warm-up. He came in my mouth last night, so today it had to happen deep inside of me. That was the only place I wanted him. But, this was just to get things started.

As I'm moving further down his shaft trying to relax my throat more, Daryl's hand is back on my bare butt. He's rubbing it, cupping it, and when his hand starts to slide lower, my horny brain starts going into overdrive. Inside I'm screaming "Please, please touch me." And son of a bitch he waits until I get him down my throat almost all the way before he pushed two fingers inside of me. It was sudden and slightly unexpected since he had only touched me there once before. I groaned with him deep in my mouth.

Daryl wasn't gentle, but I didn't mind. That's when I started to work him harder too. My hand joined in so my mouth could take it easy for a moment. I was able to groan out an "Oh God."

"Am I coming in that mouth again?" he asked his voice huskier than normal.

I liked that he was finding it easier to say shit like that to me. "Nope. Only place you are coming is in me."

Once more I pushed him deep into my mouth, so my lips were against his body. I had him all the way in and his "Oh fucks," were nonstop. If I didn't stop soon, he was going to come, and I didn't want that yet. Except, his fingers felt so good in me that I didn't want to move. The only reason I let him go from my mouth and moved my body was to straddle him.

I slide myself up to his chest rubbing my pussy lips along his hard as steel cock. Then I took the hand that he had been using to fuck me with and held it in mine. I took one of the fingers he had inside of me and sucked it into my mouth. His eyes were locked on me the entire time. Then I took the second finger and put it to his lips. I wanted him to taste me.

Daryl hesitated for just a second before letting me push my finger between his lips. I wondered if he had ever done that before or even gone down on a woman. One night stands and quickies were more about the sex and less about the woman. That had been his style of hooking up. That may be something we would need to work on. There was no way we could be together without Daryl getting up close and personal with my hoo-ha. At least today he was getting a taste. We had plenty of time to work on the rest.

Next thing I knew each one of his hands was grabbing a boob. He wasn't gentle, but he wasn't awkward either. I liked his roughness with my body, so as he was squishing my boobs and tweaking nipples, I pushed myself down onto his dick. It slid perfectly inside, just like we were made for each other.

That's when the bed starting rocking as each thrust had us coming together hard. I closed my eyes for a second loving how full he made me feel. Suddenly, I was whipped onto my back with Daryl on top now. My surprised eyes met his. All I saw was that sexy stare he could give better than anyone I had ever known. I loved him taking the control from me.

A lot.

Daryl was supporting himself on his extended arms. The muscles in his biceps and shoulders were bulging as he slammed himself into me over and over again. The headboard of the bed was banging into the wall with every thrust.

It was a sweat drenching type of fuck that I always loved. When it came down to sex, I wanted it all and as hard and crazy as it could be. Yeah, I was a girl, but that didn't mean I needed sex to be soft and loving. This was my favorite way and thank god, this is what Daryl did damn well. This is what got me off.

I grabbed my knees and pulled them towards me. Anything to give him better access to get as deep as he could go. The only sounds that could be heard in the room were the headboard bashing against the wall, Daryl's deep heavy breathing, and me squealing these little high-pitched "oh's" with an occasional "Oh God" thrown in.

He was so good at hitting me just perfectly. I knew I was going to be coming fast and hard. "Oh God, Babe. Don't stop! Harder!" I cried as the orgasm burst through me. I pretty much lost control of everything at that point.

"Oh fuck!" Daryl growled as he reached his own pinnacle and came with me. How he could keep thrusting throughout it, I didn't know. I couldn't even keep holding my legs up for him. When he collapsed on top of me, I was already struggling to catch my breath. With his weight on top of me, it was even harder, but there was no way I wanted him to move.

Daryl finally kissed me before giving me one more hard thrust before he slipped out. Apparently, the bed had enough, because with that last thrust something broke and the box spring, mattress, and us dropped down onto the floor.

"Oh my God, we did break the bed!" I laughed.

"Damn, Angel. It's all your fault."

"Oh no! There are two of us in this bed. It's your fault just as much. Maybe more," I told him. My eyes were starting to tear I was laughing so hard.

Daryl slid off me to the side, and I loved the huge smile he had. "Girl, if you hadn't kept begging me to go harder, this bed may still be in one piece."

"Just can't get enough of you, you got a problem with that Dixon?"

"Fuck no," he laughed. "I ain't never met anyone like you. You can take advantage of me all you want."

I gave him a devilish smile. "I have my own sex slave or is it a boy toy? Hmmm, I think I like boy toy better."

Daryl raised his eyebrows at me. "Boy toy? You calling…me…a boy toy?"

"If the shoe fits…"I started to say before I found myself being tickled. I tried to get away from his fingers because he was finding out that I was extremely ticklish. Never thought he had it in him to do something like this, but I was enjoying him have fun.

We were both laughing in the broken bed when a loud crash from downstairs had us stopping immediately. There was complete silence until we heard glass breaking and the sounds of hungry growls coming from downstairs.

We were naked, and we were screwed.

 **Daryl**

 **.**

I don't know if I ever tickled anyone in my life. Who would have I have even done that to? Merle? Fuck no. There was something to Angel that had me relaxing and doing shit like this. All cause she called me her boy toy. Fuck that. I ain't no toy anything.

At least I don't want to be. But all I can think about around her is sex. Never felt like this about anyone before. Usually, I'm running for the door, but not with Angel. With her, I don't want to leave. With her, I forget shit when I shouldn't. Like forgetting, we're in a house, that's half-ass secured from the geeks trying to eat us.

I shoulda chose a better house. I knew the front lock was a piece of shit, but I was so horny to get into her pants again, that I choose the first house with a second story I saw. Now we're rushing to get clothes on because the dead have broken into the house trying to get to us. Stupid of me. I'm a fuckin' idiot to have let that happen. Careless all because I'm panting after her like a dog in heat.

"Get dressed fast!" I yell at Angel. I was hopping around as my feet were getting stuck in my pants as I try to get them on while looking for my boots. No idea where those fuckers are.

"I'm trying! How are we getting out of here?" she exclaimed.

That was a good question.

" _Run the options, Dixon_ ," was running through my head. There weren't many. Fighting through the crowd downstairs was sure death. Jumping out the window from the second floor would break a leg…at the least. What the hell were we going to do?

"Give me a second, and I'll figure sumthin' out," I told her with more confidence than I was feeling.

I tied the last boot that had been kicked off into a corner and slid on my shirt. I looked out the front window and didn't see many walkers. Maybe that's cause they're all inside the house. But I did see a roof below the window. That's an option.

While Angel was finishing getting dressed, I ran through the upstairs looking for another way out. There wasn't one. The view down the staircases was unnerving. Had to be two dozen walkers easy down there trying to get up to us. How did they know we were here? Usually, on the second floor, we were okay, but today it was like we left the door open. Which we didn't.

Looked like that front roof was our only option.

"Anything?" Angel asked. She had both the backpack and duffle bag in her hands. She didn't look scared. I had the feeling she was putting her complete trust in me to figure our way out of this mess. If I let her down, we'll be dead, so I definitely didn't want to do that.

I literally ripped the curtains off the wall. Yanked the window up and looked out onto the roof. It covered the front porch below and at least brought us closer to the ground. "We're going out this way. First onto the roof, and then down the support pole on the end."

"You're serious aren't you?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Angel was looking a bit nervous which was so unlike her. "I was hoping for a back staircase or something like that."

"Nope. Just one that's full of walkers. This is our only way out." That's when it hit me. She was afraid of heights. "Angel, it's not that high up, and I'll be with you. It's our only option. I'll go first, and you follow me, ok?"

She nodded at me, but I could tell that she was going to have a hard time with it. I climbed out the window feeling the roof under me. It felt pretty solid. "Hand me the two packs," I told her. I was going to go down first and have her toss me the packs. Then she could climb down. It wasn't going to be easy, but nothing in this world was anymore.

The roof was slanted, so I had to be careful as I made my way to the edge. I lay down on my stomach and looked down to see what I was working with. Just as I thought. The corner post was a round pillar that we could slide down, but it would be tricky going over the edge to get to it.

I turned and saw Angel looking out the window. "C'mon. You need to come out here." Fear was written all over her face. I've seen her take down walkers without hesitation. She went out scavenging on her own and even threatened me in the beginning. I respected her skills to survive. Yet, coming out on this roof was scaring her more than I've ever seen her before.

"Angel…you can do this." But when she didn't make a move to come out, I got up and went back to the window. I put out my hand for her to take. "I'll help you. C'mon we gotta do this before they realize we're outside now. Just take my hand."

There was still fear in her eyes, as she slowly put her hand in mine. Then she put one leg over the window sill and then the other. When she stood up, I felt her hand trembling. She trusted me enough to come out this far, now I just had to get her down to the ground. That was the hardest part.

"Squat down. We need to be careful getting to the edge. I'll shimmy down first. Then you can toss me the bags. You come down last. Okay?"

That's when I saw the tears. Oh, shit. Women and tears are so not my thing. We got no time to figure this out. We gotta go now. "Angel? Look at me." I waited until those purple eyes of her looked into mine. "I know you're scared. But we gotta do this. I promise I won't let anything happen to you. If you fall, and you won't, I'll catch you. But we gotta do this now. Can you do this for me?"

I watched her wipe the tears away with her hand. "Okay, I can do this. But if anything happens, you'll catch me. Right?"

"Hell yeah, I will." I kissed her briefly before I scooted over to the edge. I have good upper body strength so I used that to help lower myself down until I could wrap my legs around the pillar. After, that it was easy to get down to the ground. I could hear the walker's moans from where I was. Once they realized that dinner was right outside, they would be on me like a shot.

"Okay, I'm down. It wasn't that hard," I lied. I hoped she had decent arm strength or I'd end up having to catch her for sure. "Drop the bags down."

I waited a few seconds, but she didn't appear. "Angel?" I couldn't shout because then the walkers would hear me. "Angel?"

Then I saw the backpack appear over the edge. I caught that and then did the same for the duffle. Now it was just Angel that had to come down. Her feet appeared first, then her legs and somehow she managed to get herself wrapped around the support pillar. I could tell she was holding on with all she had. She had done the hard part, now all she had to do was slide down to the railing and jump off to me.

Except she wasn't.

"Angel, you almost got it. Just loosen up, and your feet will hit the railing on either side. C'mon you're almost there," I tried to encourage her.

But apparently I didn't say it soft enough or maybe it was our scents, but two walkers looked out the door and saw us. At that point, she had no choice but to let go. I could take out those two, just not the dozens that were streaming out after them.

"Now! You gotta do it now!" I yelled.

Apparently, that was enough, because she slid down and jumped into my arms. We each then grabbed a pack and started to once again run for our lives.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

 **Angel**

I thought I was going to die. Not from the walkers, but from my fear of heights. When Daryl said, we were going out the window I almost peed my pants. I had to go, but roofs, ladders, anything high up – I don't do. Never could.

We didn't have any other option. It was either die a horrible death by being eaten or figure out a way to climb down off the roof. How I did it? I don't know. It's all a blur that I'd rather not think about. It's done, and I didn't pass out from the fear, even though I was close.

Now once again, we are running for our lives. Finally, I had to beg him to stop. We had lost the small herd that was after us, so there was no reason to keep running like they were still on our heels. Plus, I needed to take care of a few things that couldn't wait.

"Daryl, I have to pee," I panted. All I got was a sneer him. This wasn't anything I could control, When you gotta go, you gotta go. "I'm going behind that tree in the yard. I need to grab the roll of toilet paper from the backpack."

He swung the pack off his shoulders and handed it to me. I could have sworn I heard a low growl from him. What was his problem? I grabbed the roll and squatted behind the tree. I heard him yell out "Can still see you." To which he got the middle finger of my right hand.

I think we were having a fight. I was clueless about why, but I think we were.

When I got back, I stored my precious small roll of toilet paper, before looking at him. "We need a plan."

"Just keep walkin'. What else?" he said with a sneer.

"Why are you being such a dick to me? Because I froze getting off the roof?" I spat at him. I didn't like his attitude at all.

He refused to look at me. Just kicked the dirt with his boot.

"Asshole," I mumbled under my breath.

That got him to finally look at me. "What the fuck are you doing?" he exclaimed.

"What does it look like? I'm finally putting my bra on. I didn't have time at the house, but I can't keep bouncing around. I need the support if we have to run again." I guess he was surprised to see that I took off my shirt and had my bra in my hand. So I was topless. There was no one around to see me except him, and he's seen the boobs before…up close and personal.

"What…what if someone sees you?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "I doubt anyone is around and if they do see me, so what. They get a free peek. Big deal."

He didn't take his eyes off me as I slowly put on the bra. Hell, I could get that thing on in seconds, but why not give him a thrill. At least it got him talking to me.

When I was dressed, I brought up the idea once again that we needed a plan. We did. I know where we needed to go, but we had to get there. And to do that we had to figure out where we were in the first place.

"Daryl, let's start checking cars to see if we can get any to run. And we need to figure out where we are. The town we need to find is Ashville, and we can't get there unless we know where we are. Should we check a house for mail or anything?"

"Yeah, you're right. There's a car in the next driveway that I can see if I can hotwire. Don't go in any house without me," he said.

Was he serious? He did he not realize I survived quite well on my own for years before I met him. "I can clear a house. You try the car, and I'll go inside to look for an address."

"Try that first," he growled at me. I still had no idea why he was mad at me, and I was getting tired of the growls. I didn't need the attitude.

"Try what?" I had no idea what he was talking about.

"The box."

I looked at what he was pointing at and laughed. "You think there's still mail in the mailbox? Really?"

"Can't hurt to try. Just do it."

I shook my head. This was going to be a waste of time. "Fine." I walked the six feet over the mailbox and yanked open the door. Son of a bitch. There was mail still inside. I reached in and pulled out a letter. We were in Newton. I shoved the envelope into my back pocket and looked back at Daryl. He still had that deadly stare thing going on, but I think there was just a hint of smirk too. Damn him for being right.

"Go check the car hotshot. It was a lucky guess."

He shook his head at me before heading over to the abandoned car. Daryl crawled under the dash pulling out wires, and I popped the glove box. This one didn't have what I was looking for, but eventually one did. None of the cars worked, but I found the map I was looking for.

I opened in on the hood of an old blue Chevy Impala. Daryl was peering over my shoulder. "We need to find Newton," I said. "That's where we are." He found it first and pointed to it. I used a pen I had found to circle it. "Now we need Ashville."

This time I was the one that found the little town on the map. I circled that too. "How far do you think it is?" I asked him.

Daryl looked closer at the map. "Twenty, twenty-five miles. Should take us a couple days. Let's get going. We still have a couple of hours before we need to think about finding a place for tonight."

At least we had a plan.

I let Daryl worry about that as I trudged along next to him. A couple of times, I tried to start a conversation, but it fizzled out pretty quick. I wish I knew what was bugging him. We had a long way to walk, and this wasn't how I expected the trip to go. There was no way he was going to continue giving me the silent treatment for something I had no idea what I did.

The sun was starting to go down in the afternoon sky when Daryl pointed to a ranch-style house. "Let's check that one." It was the first time he had said anything to me in at least an hour.

We headed over there with our weapons up. The lock was busted, but the house was clear of the dead, the living, and anything that one could use. Except, we only needed it for the night. Together, we pushed a heavy piece of furniture in front of the front door. The back door was still secure.

I tossed Daryl a can and a spoon, and we ate in silence. It was killing me to know what he thought I had done that had pissed him off. So I waited until we were finished with our cold meal. "So, are you going to tell me what I did that pissed you off?"

"Nothing."

"Really? You're either growling at me, or I'm getting the silent treatment. So you must think I did something that I am clueless about. So what the fuck did I do to piss you off?" I demanded.

Daryl got up and peaked out the window. I had no idea why he wouldn't look at me, and it was driving me crazy.

"Daryl!"

"It's not you," he mumbled.

I walked over to him and put a hand on his arm. "What's going on?"

Daryl turned to me. His eyes looked sad. "I almost got us killed today."

What was he talking about? "How did you do that? You didn't leave the door open to invite them in. The door wasn't enough to hold them back. They wanted in, and there was no stopping the herd."

"I choose that house. I knew the door wasn't great and we only pushed that small couch to block it. Never should have stayed there. That's on me." He started to pace the floor.

Does he always carry the weight of the world on those broad shoulders?

"Daryl, that's ridiculous. Most doors have been kicked in these days. It's hard to find a secure house. That wasn't your fault. It was just bad luck," I tried to tell him.

"No, I fucked up!"

I rolled my eyes at him. "No, you didn't!"

"If I wasn't so fuckin' desperate to get into your pants, maybe we could have found another house. You make me think with my dick! All I could think of was fuckin' you again, so I chose the first two-story house I saw. That almost got us killed!"

Now I understood where his head was at. But he was still wrong. I took his hand and made him sit next to me on the old dusty sofa. "Listen to me, please. Babe, it wasn't your fault or mine. It was just bad luck." I could see him shaking his head disagreeing with me.

"I could have said no to the house, but I thought it was secure enough. There was no way we could have known that they would zero in on us that way. We were up on the second floor so that should have made a difference. But we were able to get out, and here we are…totally fine." I squeezed his hand before continuing. "I'm flattered that you wanted me like that. I think about sex with you all the time too. We're damn good together. Maybe the bed made too much noise when it collapsed, and that attracted them. But us having sex or wanting to have sex didn't do it. Okay?"

He didn't answer me for a minute or two. I could see he was processing what I said. "Then it was your fault," he finally said.

I looked at him in surprise. "My fault? How's that?"

The corner of his mouth lifted in a tiny smile. "You're the one that begged me to go harder and harder. You broke the bed."

"Well, if you weren't so damn good at fucking me, I wouldn't get so crazy. So it's both our faults," I laughed.

He finally relaxed. Here I thought he had been mad at me all day when he was mad at himself. It really wasn't either of our faults.

"Okay, I'll go with that," he admitted. "But stop showing off your tits like you did. I almost threw you down on the ground and ripped those tight pants off ya."

"And here I thought you were mad, you were just horny," I said teasing him. "But seriously, I didn't want to take the extra time to put the bra on if those walkers were going to make it up the stairs. It wasn't like there was anyone else around. You've seen them before."

"Yeah, and naked tits will get any guy horny, especially yours. I'm sorry. I was a dick to you, Angel. Sometimes, I just get that way."

"And sometimes I can be a bitch. It's something we'll both need to deal with. I'll just remember next time to flash my boobs at you. Maybe jiggle a little too." Now it was his turn to roll his eyes at me.

"Oh, you think I won't?" That's when I stood up and reached under my shirt for the bottom edge of my bra. I lifted it up letting my size D cup boobs bounce out. A little shake had them bouncing. Just like I told him. He was fast getting up off the couch, but I was faster and took off towards the kitchen. He easily caught me, but I wasn't really trying to get away.

I found my back crushed against his chest, with his hands on my boobs. I had tossed the shirt in my brief dash to the kitchen. His hands squeezed and massaged them, before tweaking the nipples between his fingers. God, I loved when he did that.

Then one hand dropped down, and I felt him reached between us to undo his pants. So I undid mine too and shimmied them down to my ankles. The panties followed, but I needed at least one leg off. I wanted him to fuck me in the kitchen even though there wasn't a good place to do it. I moved out of his arms to

yank one pants leg over my boots. It wasn't easy, but when there's a will…there's a way. Then I leaned against the dirty kitchen counter spreading my legs.

Daryl came up behind me with his hard dick in his hand. He teased me with it first, causing me to moan loudly. "You want it?" he asked with a husky growl.

"Yes. God, yes."

That's when he pushed inside of me in one hard thrust. I was ready for him, but I wasn't. A whimper escaped my lips as he completely filled me. It had hurt a little but in a good way. In the way I loved.

We set up a rhythm so that when he thrust back into me, I pushed back, so our hips slammed together. I needed him deep and hard. We did that over and over again. I didn't need to beg for him to go harder, he knew that's what I wanted. The best thing was…that's what he wanted too.

It was a hot, humid day, to begin with, so it only took a minute or two for the sweat to start to pour off of us. I was mostly naked, except for the bra that was bunched up and Daryl started with his shirt on and pants at his ankles but very quickly whipped the shirt over his head.

This time I didn't need any extra stimulation. I knew I was going to come just from him being in me. When it started, I did my best to stay standing. Daryl gives me a gift each time this happens. I come stronger and harder than with anyone else. My vision blurs, and my entire body shakes uncontrollably. His strong arm around my waist was what kept me upright. Daryl's loud groan let me know that he had hit his climax too. His second hand ended up grabbing onto the counter to support himself. We were one orgasmic mess. God, I loved sex with him.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

 **Daryl**

This girl was something else. One minute I'm so angry at myself for letting the walkers get a jump on us because I was too busy fuckin' her. And the next she makes me see that blaming me was wrong and I'm fuckin' her again. I swear she's become an addiction. All I can think about is having sex with her. And as much as it seems it's just about the sex, it's not. She's not afraid to get in my face. Today proved that.

Also, I've never had anyone that it was so easy to talk to. I don't share shit with anyone, except Angel. Not even Carol, who knows me better than most...she never knew a lot of what Angel does. She makes me feel shit that I don't understand.

I've lost many friends over the years since the world fell apart. In fact, I had lost every single one of my family because of Negan. Rick, Carol, Michonne, Maggie, and even Carl and Judith were gone as far as I could tell. It hurt, and I knew it spiraled me into a depression that was hard to shake. But I went on. I had to. If I lost Angel now, I'm not sure I could. That's why I got so pissed off at myself today. I made a stupid decision and put her in jeopardy.

Except, she didn't see it that way at all. She pulled me out of my anger, and the next thing I know is she's showing me her tits again, and I chase her into the crapped out kitchen. I don't think I will ever have enough of them. They're soft and overflow in my hands. And they taste even better. Once I had them in in my control, I could feel her practically melt against me. She is so responsive anytime I touch her. And she's not faking it. Nope. Not at all.

The fuck we just had was so hard that she almost couldn't keep standing. I could barely stay upright myself, in fact, I was sitting on the sofa right now with my pants up, but open. Yeah, my dick was still hanging out. Just didn't have the energy to tuck it back in yet.

During the long walk today, I told myself I wasn't gonna have sex with her again unless I was sure we were safe. Just shows how little willpower I have with her. Little? Who am I kidding, I have none when it comes to her. Never felt like this with a woman before. I was always able to leave them without a problem. Fuck 'em and leave 'em was my style. But not with Angel. Just looking at her makes me hard.

And the crazy thing is I like touching her. It could be her hand or just a glancing of our shoulders, but I want to touch her all the time. What the fuck is wrong with me?

"Promise me one thing?" Angel sighed next to me. She was even more undone than I was. There was one pant leg around her ankle, and besides that, she was naked as the say she was born. God, she was hot.

"What's that?"

"Well, make it two things. First, if we ever have a problem. Tell me. I know that's not your style, but I can't have you not talking to me. Okay?"

I nodded that I would. Which meant I would try. That's the best I could give her.

"Second, don't ever stop fucking me like that. Holy shit, we are good together."

She could always make me smile when I least expected to. There was something was dying to ask her that I wasn't sure I could. But I was gonna try "Umm, is it always like that when two people are together like we are? I mean, I did the one-night stands, but I never got as worked up as I do with you. It's like all I can think about it the next time. God, that sounds fuckin' pitiful."

"Daryl, it isn't. In fact, that's a huge compliment. I know this is your first relationship, but it's not mine. But I never had sex with any of the other guys like I do you."

Daryl groaned at me. "Fuck, Angel I don't wanna hear about other guys."

"You're so cute," she laughed. "Let me make my point. You and I have a chemistry that is hard to find. Our bodies understand each other and know what the other one needs. Your style of sex – the hard, crazy, anything goes style is mine too. Never found anyone before that could turn me on and make me come like you do. And like you…I'm always thinking about the next time. Except, I hate to say this, but I need a break."

"Why?" I asked. I needed recovery time, but not a break. Did she mean an hour, a day or longer?

"Because before you, I hadn't had sex in a long time…not since that night. And we've been fucking like rabbits since we started and my body is sore. As much as I hate to say it, maybe take a break until tomorrow. Okay?"

One night I can handle. Hopefully.

"Of course, but you are really being a tease about it." She was.

"Why?"

"Because you can't tell me we aren't having any more sex today when you are sitting there buck ass naked. Look..." I said pointing to my dick. It wants you again. It did. It had gotten hard while she was talking to me…naked. To emphasize her state of undress, I reached over a twisted a nipple. A couple of times.

I was playing dirty. I knew her weaknesses.

I heard a deep sigh come from her and knew I almost had her. I know I was being a shit, but would one more time be that bad? Then I did something I knew would change her mind. I took my middle finger and slid it into my mouth to get it wet. Then I reached between her legs and slid it between her wet pussy lips.

"You are playing dirty, Daryl," she moaned.

"Yep."

So we compromised. I got her off with my hand, and she gave me one of her awesome blowjobs. But I was hoping to get back to fuckin' tomorrow.

 **Angel**

I created a monster. Daryl went from never having sex for years, to wanting it all the time. Even when I tell him, I need a break. My vagina was sore. My hips hurt. I just needed overnight to recover, and he had to play dirty. There's no other way to say it. Yes, I will admit I was sitting there naked. After that mind-blowing orgasm, he gave me, I didn't have enough energy to get dressed yet. I had to sit down for a while.

Sure he had pulled up his pants, but that cock of his that is big even when it's soft was hanging out of his pants. And he had no shirt on. Damn.

But when he sucked his finger into his mouth, I had no idea what he was doing. Then I saw where he was going with it and my heart sped up. So I sat there on that old sofa, with my legs spread wide and he was getting me off with his hand. That I could do. And I did, coming hard with his two fingers shoved inside of me and his thumb rubbing away at my clit. Oh yeah, that was good.

I had to reciprocate. Which was not a hardship since I love giving blowjobs. Daryl does give me a run for my money with that dick of his. He's pretty damn big, and I love having him down my throat. I can't breathe, I'm trying not to gag, and my eyes are watering but there's not much better than sucking his dick. Except him fucking me with it. There is nothing girlie or feminine about what I was just thinking, but it's the truth. I love sex of all kinds. Always did.

Now we are both finally dressed again. The sun has gone down, and the house is pretty dark. Dinner was another can of something. I don't even pay attention to what I'm eating anymore.

"I'm gonna stay up on watch tonight," he said out of the blue.

Wait, why did he feel we needed that? "Why?"

"Just because we got the door blocked, doesn't mean anything. My group always did watches. Only with you, I don't, and that didn't work last night. So I'm staying up."

Daryl was right. But he was also wrong. We needed to keep watch, but he wasn't staying up all night. "Okay, you're right. Guess I'm just used to being on my own, and one person can't keep watch. So you and I will split it. That's only fair, and I'm doing the first shift."

"Why do you get first shift?" he asked.

"Because I don't trust you to wake me up for my shift. That's why." I could tell from his look I nailed it. Guilty as charged Dixon. "Thought so," I laughed.

The house was totally dark by now. There was not much to do except talk or have sex. Daryl wasn't a big talker. I had figured that out pretty early on. And I had taken sex off of the table for tonight. Even though the dining room table looked like a good height for us. Maybe we could give that a try in the morning. Sure there was probably a bed in another room, but I liked to switch it up. Daryl was going to find that out very quickly.

He decided he was going to crash on the sofa, instead of in one of the bedrooms. That kind of cramped my talking to myself that I usually did to stay awake, but I guess I could stare at his rugged face while he slept instead in between checking out the windows. He wanted me to wake him up at one in the morning, but I was going to push it to two.

Daryl was lying on his back on the very outdated plaid sofa. Apparently, he does not know about goodnight kisses. They are mandatory, and he doesn't know that…yet. "Hey," I said as I sat next to him on the edge. "There's no going to sleep without a kiss. Those are the rules."

"We got rules now?"

I brush his long bangs out of his face. I liked seeing those blue eyes of his. "Not many, but a couple."

"Like what? Never had to do rules before."

"Babe, you've never had a girl like me before," I told him. He didn't miss the sexy smile I was giving him.

"Oh, really?"

I leaned an arm on his chest as I got closer to him. "Definitely. I am nothing like those skanks that you used to fuck. You threw them away, and I know you are not going to do that with me. So…rule one – there is always a goodnight kiss. Even if you are pissed off, there has to be a kiss. Rule two – no cheating. I don't put up with that at all."

"Seriously? You think I'm gonna cheat on you? With who? I hadn't had sex since before this shit started. What's that like a couple of years? You're the only one that I ever wanted that way. That ain't gonna change."

"Thank you." I dropped a quick kiss on his lips. "Now the third and last rule is the most important. If you don't agree with it, all bets are off. Okay?"

"Hit me with it."

"Rule three…" I was trying to keep a straight face, but it was hard. "Is that we absolutely, positively must have as much sex as we are physically capable of. If we can't have sex, then blowjobs and other sexual acts are permissible. Deal?" Instead of shaking his hand, I grabbed his crotch instead. What can I say, I went with my first impulse.

Daryl didn't hesitate to grab a boob. "That is so fuckin' a deal." We each sealed it with a squeeze.

Then I leaned down for a kiss. It wasn't a quick one, but it wasn't the hot passionate kisses of the past. It was us sealing our deal, which basically locked us in as a couple. Daryl and Jessie. Or as he took to calling me, Angel.

The next morning came all too fast. My watch shift was long and boring as they typically are. It was the few hours of sleep I got that sped by. "Anything going on?" I asked with a yawn.

"Nuthin'."

"That's good." I stood up and stretched. That was one uncomfortable sofa, and my muscles were all tight. "What's for breakfast?"

When he didn't answer me, I looked over to where Daryl was. His shoulder was leaning against the doorframe, and he was biting his thumbnail. He always did that I realized when he was unsure about something. "What?"

"Umm, since it's…tomorrow, could we work on rule number 3?"

Oh, my God. How cute is he? Time to try out that dining room table.

I got up and walked over to the table placing both hands down on it. Then I leaned my weight on it to test its strength. It would do. I turned around to face him. He was still nibbling on that nail. "How long have you been thinking about doing it?"

"A while."

"Oh, really?" I pulled out one of the chairs and put my foot up on it. Quickly, I unlaced that boot, then the other before kicking them off. "So, you're ready for rule three. I'm barely awake. The sun's been up for what, less than an hour? And you're ready to invoke three. Am I right?" The entire time I was talking to him I was slowly unbuttoning my shirt.

"They are your rules. Just trying to abide by them," he told me trying not to smile.

I let the shirt slip off my shoulders, and I tossed it onto the arm of the sofa. "You agreed to them, so they are our rules now." Reaching behind my back, I unclasped my bra, and that joined the shirt. I wondered if Daryl realized as he was staring at my boobs from across the room, that he had licked his lips a couple of times. I knew he had no idea how sexy that was.

"Now, I do love sex first thing in the morning. You should realize that by now, right?"

Daryl nodded his head as I slipped out of my jeans.

"Good. But there's no rule that it has to be in a bed all the time. That will never, ever be a rule." By now I was completely naked. He wasn't. Daryl was too busy staring at me to remember to take his clothes off. "I've been dying to try this table since last night. What do you think?"

I scooted up on the table. One leg was hanging down and the other I had the foot resting on the table edge. Yeah, he could see everything I was offering.

Faster than I thought possible, he was standing between my legs with his lips crushed to mine. It was a hard, brutal kiss. His tongue pushed its way into my mouth, and I knew he wanted to be in control. He was more aggressive than usual, and we had barely started. My lips felt bruised when he moved his kisses to my neck and shoulder. I felt his teeth leaving marks on my bare skin. This was a new Daryl, and I was loving every single thing he was doing. The nips, the hard kisses combined with the little flashes of pain he was causing was absolutely my idea of pleasure.

I was naked, but he was still fully dressed. Daryl's mouth made it down to my breast, and he teased my nipple with his teeth. For a _wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am_ kind of guy, he was damn good at what he did. So while he was paying my boob attention, I undid his belt and pants. Since they were slightly large for him, they slid down his legs pretty easily.

We hadn't found any underwear that he would wear yet, so his cock bounced free. He was completely hard and standing tall. I then leaned back on the table, and he followed me with his mouth still attached to me. I could feel his erection pressed between us. Except that wasn't where either of us wanted it.

He finally let my nipple go and stood up straight looking down at me. His eyes could speak volumes, with him saying a single word. I saw how bad he wanted me in them. And I wanted him just as badly, maybe more. I scooted to the edge of the table spreading my legs apart. Then I watched him take hold of himself and tease my opening with his cock's head a few times before he pushed the tip into me. Then it was all of him. Hard and so deep I'm sure he hit my cervix.

I bit back a cry of pain. Daryl quickly looked at me to see if I was okay. Hell, I was better than okay.

"Do it again," I told him. "Do it again."

If I hadn't been paying attention to his face, I would have missed the slight narrowing of his eyes and the tiny curve of the corner of his mouth. Yeah, he liked it too. Daryl pulled out and slammed back into me. Over and over again.

I felt so full. We were such a perfect fit. Where had he been all of my life?

My hands were holding onto the edge of the table to keep me from sliding back with each of his thrusts. This table was the perfect height for us. I knew it would be.

Daryl had his hands on my hips to keep us close together. I liked how I could see him better in this position. His face wasn't covered by his long hair so I could watch him as he fucked me. He had a very expressive face and now was no exception. His eyes were hard, yet filled with passion. He was biting his lower lip, which he did unconsciously all too often.

I could tell that he would be coming soon, before me. Even as incredible as this felt, I knew I was going to need a little extra help, so I moved my right hand between my legs and started rubbing my clit. Daryl looked down at my hand and then back at me.

"Fuckin' hot," he groaned.

"Hell, yeah we are."

"No, you…hottest chick ever."

I closed my eyes loving his words. How he felt about me was all that mattered. I knew I was cute and very much wild, and as long as that's what he wanted, I was happy. Sometimes grumpy, not very talkative, and a bad boy through in through was my Daryl. It worked between us, and I had no plans of going any place else anytime soon.

With my eyes still closed, I started to rub myself harder. I had to get to that edge when he did. Nothing better than falling off it at the same time.

Suddenly, I felt him pull out of me and I was off the table. He turned me around and had my chest and face was pushed down on the old wood and he spread my legs with his. Then he slammed his dick into me over and over again. God, how I love sex this way. It was so damn good and he was so fucking big, that he filled me so much. I swear I was never going to get enough of him.

Daryl pulled out again, but this time when he pushed back into me, he didn't realize that it wasn't my pussy until he was halfway in and I loudly gasped. "Stop. Don't move."

That's when Daryl realized he was in my ass and not my slick wet pussy. "Oh shit, Angel. I didn't mean to do that. I'll pull out. Are you okay?"

"No. Don't pull out. It's okay. I just need to get used to your size. My body will relax in a minute. Thank god you were so wet from me already," I told him. I had been wondering how to broach anal sex with him. I told you, I'm a bit freaky and fucking my ass is almost as good as my pussy. It was just something we hadn't even talked about yet, but here we were with his dick half way in me. And I knew already it was going to be incredible when he was all the way in.

"You really want me to fuck your ass?"

I turned and smiled at him. "Yeah, I do since you are already there. You ever done this before?" he shook his head no. "Wanted to?" he hesitated a second before this time shaking his head yes. "Good, because I want you to. Once, my body accommodates you fuck me with everything you got."

That earned me a big smile, but then he asked, "Don't we need lube or sumthin'?"

"Yeah, we do. So in a second pull out of me and get slick again from my pussy. Before you push into my ass, spit there and that will help. It's all we got."

So that's what he did. He pulled out of my ass and slipped back into me pumping away so he was completely covered with my wetness. After a minute or so he stopped. And as I felt him spit into my slightly open back hole, I felt a shiver of excitement flow through me. I loved being naughty. And besides having sex outdoors, this was almost naughty as you could get with a guy. Although had my limits. Light bondage I could handle, but anything more was time for me to say goodbye and out the door I went. I did have limits to my freaky side.

"Push the head in first and wait until I say it's okay." Daryl did that. After a few seconds, it was fine. "Now, slowly keep pushing in. If I need you to stop I'll let you know."

"You sure?" he asked.

Of course, I was sure! I had been thinking about this for days. "Yes, Babe. I want this, so stop asking if I am sure and just fuck my ass!"

That earned me a slight chuckle before he pushed in further. Then he pulled out and pushed back in and did that over and over until he was in all the way. God, that felt so damn good.

"I can't believe we're doing this. I only thought they did this in pornos. Fuck, this is so tight," he groaned.

Daryl wasn't one to talk dirty, but the few times I did it to him, I could tell he liked it. I moved my hand to my clit to help me get off. Sex this way excited me tremendously, but it never got me off. "With that big dick of yours, babe they would love you to be in porn. I got my very own porn star with his huge dick up my ass right now. God damn, that feels so good. Fuck my ass, Dixon! Fuck me!"

"Love. Rule. Three," he groaned, his raspy voice even huskier than ever. The deep guttural moan that followed told me that he was close to coming. And when he did, I was right behind him coming so strong that I was glad to have the table under me to support my body as I shuddered violently as the waves of my orgasm hit me hard.

Daryl now had his hands on the table supporting himself as he tried to catch his breath. I was gasping to trying to get control of my breathing too. I was finally able to pop my head up and said, "Good morning."

"Sure as hell is," he replied shuffling toward the sofa. His pants were still at his ankles.

I stood up with a very content smile on my face, and our eyes met. "Why?" he asked me.

"Why what?" I really needed a little bit more to go on.

"Why is someone like you…with someone like me?"

I knew what he was asking, but it made no sense why he was. Of course, I was with him. Why wouldn't I be? He was awesome. "I'm with you because I want to be. Not because of any other reason. I think you are an incredible guy so that even if we had met before this mess happened, I would still want to be with you. We get each other, right?" He nodded that he agreed with me. "And I've never had such hot fucks before like I do with you."

"What were you like before?" he asked as he pulled up his pants and fastened them.

I looked for my clothes and started to dress. "I told you I was a web designer before everything changed. I was the type of woman that wore dresses all the time and loved having fun. I would never have been caught dead camping, walking in the woods, or doing anything like that. I liked going out to clubs and eating in nice restaurants. But. The type of guy you think I would have been attracted to…bored me. Completely. Guys like you…I always liked."

Daryl was sitting on that awful sofa again, so I sat down straddling him. "Guys like me?"

"Yeah. The guys that our momma's always warned us about. The bad boys who could wrap me around their finger with just a smile. I never wanted a guy that wore polo shirts and khakis. Give me ripped jeans and a leather jacket. So, Mr. Daryl Dixon, you are so my type. Got that?"

The smirk on his face said it all. "Got it."

"Let's get us moving along to Ashville. The sooner we get there, the sooner you get your surprise." Daryl didn't look too keen on surprises. I stood up and grabbed my pack. "Babe, trust me. You are going to love this." We both got up off the sofa gathering out stuff to head out.

"We'll see," he said as he slipped the backpack on. "Angel?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. I really didn't mean to end up in there, but…umm…can…we do that again?"

I put my hand on his chest and got very close to him. His blue eyes were looking down into mine. "If you didn't want to, I was thinking I'd have to turn you in for a new guy. Glad I don't. Getting you broken in just right."

That's when he pulled me tight against him. "I ain't ever gonna let you go Angel. So don't even think about gettin' rid of me. Besides not many dicks as big as mine around these days."

I rolled my eyes at him before popping a kiss on his lips. "I am spoiled now. Anything smaller is just not going to do."

"Remember that, girl," he said before heading to the door. I was smiling as we moved the piece of furniture that was blocking the door away. It was going to be another hot day as we headed down the barren street. No walkers yet, but the day was young. We had at least twenty-five miles to go on foot to get to Ashville. Then I had to find the neighborhood that I had been. Once we did that, I knew we had food, transportation, and a place to stay. Now, all we had to do was get there. That was going to be the hard part.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

 **Daryl**

It took four long, frustrating days just to get to this town that Angel had us looking for. We shoulda done it in two, but we had to spend almost a day holed up in an office that we found because a decent size herd was heading toward us. We broke in a back door that we could secure and stayed quiet as they took their damn time moving out. By then it was dark, and we just stayed put.

By the time we hit the Ashville town line, we were both tired and looked like shit. It was hot and humid, so we were sweating our asses off. But what got us was a wind that picked up for two days that say leaves and dirt flying through the air all the time. We ended up having to cover our noses and mouth it was so bad. By the end of these last few days, we looked like we rolled around in the dirt. Even I thought we looked pretty damn bad.

Now, we had to find the neighborhood that Angel had been in. The only thing we had to go on was that it bordered the deep woods and that was on the right side of town. So that's where we headed.

"Anything look familiar?" I asked her.

"No. Same as the last time you asked me five minutes ago," she snapped.

I just gave her one of my stares, and she flipped me off. That's my girl.

We had hit a more commercial area when Angel put a hand on my arm. "Stop."

"What?" I asked. "Is this it?"

"No. Of course not, but let's check out that water company. Think that truck has anything left in it?"

"Don't know. We can check it out." We could always use water. I just didn't know how long it was in that tanker.

We scouted the area, and there weren't any walkers around. The office door was locked, but that never stopped me. Angel wanted to check the tanker before going inside. I had no idea what she was up to, but I checked the gauge for her.

"It's half full. Not sure I'd drink this if it's been sitting for years."

She gave me her first smile in days. "I'm not planning on drinking it. More like bathing in it. I can't stand this dirt another day. It feels disgusting, and that's making me cranky if you haven't noticed."

Oh, hell I noticed. "Nope, didn't realize that." I may be new at this relationship shit, but I wasn't stupid.

"How does the water come out?" she asked walking around the truck.

I showed her the truck had three valves where the water could come out. Angel pointed to the highest one and told me to try it. It took me a couple of tries to loosen it, but finally, the water started coming out.

"Instant shower!" she laughed. "Turn it off until I get ready."

Wait. Was she going to get naked outside again? Not gonna happen. "No. Wait. You ain't taking your clothes off here. No fuckin' way."

Angel raised her eyebrows and put a hand on her hip. "Are you telling me what I can do?"

"Yep. No girl of mine is gonna get naked outside where sumbody could see ya. Once was enough. No more. Ain't happening." There was no way she was gonna do that again. Most guys these days were dicks. If any saw her, I'd be fighting them off, so they didn't get to her.

I thought she was going to call me a caveman or some shit like that. Instead, Angel smiles at me. "You are adorable," she laughs. Me? Adorable? Hell no.

"I like how you said 'no girl of mine.' I like being your girl, Daryl." She moved real close to me, playing with the buttons on my shirt. "Can we compromise? I really want to get this crap off me."

"How?"

"I'll stay in my underwear. Please." Angel was playing dirty because she started kissing me in that way she has. She starts off slow but gets more aggressive as she deepens it. God, she knows my damn weakness.

Her.

Damn it. "Just be fast. Can't have you fighting off walkers half-dressed or me taking out guys that want some of that hot body that belongs to me. Okay?"

"I'll be as fast as I can. You can shower after me." Angel started to take off her boots first then everything else. Did she think I was gonna get caught out here taking a shower from a water truck naked and with a boner? I ain't got any underwear and every time she kisses me I get hard. Just like I am now.

Before I knew it, she stood there in her little panties and bra with soap in her hand. "Hit it," she said. I turned the valve and water started pouring out.

"Not too cold," she said as she lathered up her arms.

Maybe not for her, but I was getting all hot just watched her. It was still new to me to have a girlfriend. Never had one. That could make me a really big loser, or just I was picky. Unfortunately, it was more of the first one. I just never attracted girls like Angel. Not until now. I got a hot girl that not only likes to be naked around me, she likes me too. Really likes me. I know that sounds stupid like I'm a teenager, but fuck, it feels pretty damn awesome.

Angel washed everything she could as the water poured out of the truck. By now her white panties and bra were see through so it almost didn't matter that she had then on. I turned off the water when she was done. Never saw a more sexy sight than she was at that moment. Her long black hair was loose and wet. Tiny droplets of water covered her body. She was happy and hot as hell.

"Shit, I need something to dry off with," she said. "Didn't think about that."

"I should have a t-shirt in one these bags. Just use that," I told her.

Angel searched until she found it and dried herself off as best she could. She pulled semi-clean clothes out of one of the packs. Then she dug around more and showed me a handful of clean, but dry underwear. "I'll be really fast if you let me change into these. I promise."

She didn't need to finish her request with a kiss. I already was going to tell her to change. Staying in wet underwear was stupid. "Make it fast, okay?" And secretly I was dying to see her naked again. I know, we'd had sex more times than I could remember, but I still liked looking at her. Yeah, I'm a guy.

First, she changed everything on top, so at least she was partly covered when she went bare-assed below. Damn, that girl has great knockers. I couldn't resist reaching over and touching one. That I could do that whenever I wanted was so fucking cool.

"Later," she told me with a wink. I knew she wasn't saying no, just not right now and she was right.

When she was dressed and her long hair braided again, she told me it was my turn. There was no way I was getting naked like she had been. Plus, I still had that boner.

I took off my sweaty shirt. That's the best I was going to do. "Turn it on," I told her.

"What's with the pants?"

"Angel, I'm not getting caught with my dick hanging out. Not happening. I'll just wash what I can. I'm used to being dirty anyway." I was, but this was even too dirty for me.

She gave me the sexy smile that could get me to drop my pants for her. Stay strong, Dixon.

"Well, from what I can tell by that big bulge in your pants your dick would be doing more standing up, than hanging down."

"Right," I growled at her. "It's hard cause of you being naked out here. Can't help it, but I ain't showing it to the goddamned world that way. Just turn on the water, Angel." Yeah, she laughed at me the whole time I was washing up. Get no respect from my girl. None.

I got dressed in the cleanest shirt I had, which wasn't saying much. My pants were wet, but there was no way around that. We checked out the office, but that's all it pretty much was. It did have a water cooler that we filed up our bottles with. In the back was where they kept their vehicles. One looked like it was a delivery truck so I rolled up the side. Sure enough, it was filled with those big clear plastic containers they used for those water dispenser machines in offices. That was still drinkable water, and I wanted it.

"Wow," Angel sighed.

"Gonna see if I can get this truck to run. Then we can take it." Water and transport. Good deal if the truck still ran.

Twenty minutes later we were chugging down the road in our water delivery truck. Angel, turned to me, "When did you earn to hotwire a car? Before or after"?

"Before. Hell, I was fourteen when Merle taught me."

"Why were you hotwiring cars at fourteen?" she asked.

I gave her a little smile. "Angel, you really don't want to know the answer to that. I told you I wasn't a good guy before. Merle and me got into shit that we shouldn't have. It was stupid when I look back at it, but it was what we did to survive."

"I knew you were a bad boy," she laughed. "I love it!"

Sometimes I wondered about her.

"Wait! Stop! This looks familiar," she cried out. "Give me a second."

I brought the truck to a stop in the middle of the road. "Yes, turn down that street there." Angel pointed to a cross street on the right. Now I drove slowly so she could get her bearings. "And turn there too."

I drove maybe a half mile, before she screamed, "Yes! This is the street."

"Take it easy," I told her. Didn't need her voice bringing on the walkers. There were already a few approaching the truck as it was.

"That house, the yellow one, is the one I stayed in before I found you. Maybe another few house down is a small park. The trail I took comes out behind that." She turned to me. "Now I can get us to that house I found, without a problem. Let's go, Daryl! Straight ahead about four blocks."

I was hoping this place was as good as Angel had it sounding. I could use a good night's sleep for a change. It had been about a week since I had one. Not to mention that we hadn't had sex in the last few days. We were both tired and dirty, and as much as hot as she is, I'm not gonna fuck her just to fuck. Not with her. I knew that if she wanted to, she would have let me know.

Angel is giving me directions, and I'm wondering how the hell she found this place, to begin with. Finally, she has me stop. "Okay, it's down that narrow paved lane. Maybe about half a mile back. Maybe more."

"We should go on foot. The truck will announce that we're coming if the house got people in it now," I told her.

"I was thinking the same thing. We should hide the packs, too. This way if we lose the truck, we still got our stuff."

She thought just like me. Just another thing I loved about her. Whoa! Why did my head go there? Love? Did I even know what that was? Could Dixon's fall in love? Thought about her like this had been popping into my head all too often lately. She made me think of the "L" word. Even back at the shit cabin I thought about it, but figured I was just horny. Maybe not. But man, this was not a good time for this shit to start running through my head. I needed to concentrate on what we were gonna do, not how I may feel about her. I had to push that to the back and worry about getting us to this house safely.

I knew Angel could take care of herself. She had proven that multiple times, but she was still mine to protect. And I would do that with my life.

I parked the truck that no one could miss on the side of the road, but down a little ways. We hid our packs in the bushes that ran along the small lane to the house. Now all we had to see if this place would work for us. We needed a home base, and from how Angel described it, it should work for us too. It wasn't Alexandria but could be a new start for me. New girl and a new life, maybe my luck was finally changing.

 **Angel**

Daryl was ahead of me with his crossbow up and ready. I was trying to keep my eye out for signs of trouble, but the brush along the lane was pretty thick, so I doubted anything could get through there. It was even hard for us to walk down as the trees and shrubs had overgrown so much. Threats would most likely come from the front or back, but we could never be too careful. My problem was I was paying too much attention to Daryl walking in front of me. He was impressive to see. I knew how heavy that crossbow was and he held it up like it was nothing. All the way to the house, we walked slowly, and he had it up in front of him ready to fire.

Those broad shoulders he had and the to-die-for muscles in his arms were the reason he used that thing like it was made of paper. But it was his butt that was distracting me. I don't know if all girls look at guy's butts the way I do, but he has one fine ass. Both in pants and without. Maybe later I'd see it without again.

" _C'mon, Jess_ ," I chided myself. " _Pay attention. Get the job done and think about playing around later_."

Daryl dropped down to a crouch, and I followed him. "I see a vehicle," he whispered.

"Inside the gate or out?"

"Inside."

"Is it dark green?"

"Yep."

"That's okay. I moved that SUV to block the gates from being pushed open from this side. Let's check it out." I wanted to see if it was as dirty as when I left it. Handprints, footprints or smudges would show that someone else had been there.

We got fairly close to the fence, and I studied the grounds and house for a while. It still had that undisturbed look it did when I found it. Whoever built this place, wanted their isolation from the neighborhood. It was set off a residential road and surrounded by an eight-foot tall wrought iron fence that encompassed the house and overgrown lawns. These people definitely had money. The gate was locked, so I had crawled over the fence to gain access when I was here.

"Let's go in," I suggested. Daryl nodded he was okay with that. "Follow me."

I walked between the brush and the fence until I got to a large square brick pillar. I had used a rock to help break off some of the brick to help me climb up it with footholds. How I lived now and how I thought everything through, was a big turnaround from the woman I used to be. I was resourceful, cunning, and deadly when I needed to be. I wasn't the woman who loved to dress up anymore. The girly girl I always thought I was is completely gone. I'm tougher than I ever thought possible. And damn proud of it.

I was the first one over the fence. Daryl followed with a soft thud onto the grass. We stayed low trying to see if there was any movement in the house, but everything still looked dark and quiet. We ran up to the front steps and waited. Still nothing. Daryl quietly made his way up the stairs and tried the doorknob. "It's locked. How did you get in?"

I flashed him a smile and picked up a rock that was in the front flower bed. "With the key." I turned the fake rock upside down and removed the key. I handed it to Daryl as I joined him by the door.

"Idiot people," he muttered under his breath.

"Yeah, but their stupidity saved us from breaking down the door. Now we can safely lock it again." I joined Daryl on the top of the steps and handed him the key.

"I'll go left, and you go right. Okay?"

I nodded I was good with that. Daryl put the key in the lock and just before he turned it, I grabbed his arm. I leaned in and gave him a kiss. "For good luck," I whispered. His eyes smiled back at me, but he didn't say a word.

The door opened quietly and we each when off in our own directions. I was clearing the dining room, kitchen, and laundry room. I knew the floor plan from my previous visit. Daryl had the large living room and TV room. There was also a back glassed in porch. We met back up in the kitchen. It was all clear without any sign of someone being here after I was. So far so good.

"How many rooms upstairs," Daryl asked me.

Briefly, I ran it through my head before answering. "Four bedrooms and two baths."

"We'll do the same thing upstairs." He told me before heading up.

The sweep of the second floor went smoothly. No one was here or had been here. This house was going to be good for us. I just knew it. "What do you think, Daryl? Will this make a good base for us?"

I could see that he was running everything through his head. Life and death decision couldn't be an instantaneous decision. "We need to check the fence and make sure that it is sturdy. I like that in all this time, no one has found this place and it's not too far away from everything. This was a good find, Angel. For however long it lasts, this could be ours."

I threw myself into his arms. This would be a new start for us. While the shack, brought us together and it did have running water, this place was much more comfortable. We would have to figure out a way to heat food, but we'd have better access to searching for supplies. There was a truck full of water just waiting to be unloaded, and we also would have transportation real soon. I couldn't wait to show Daryl.

"Come with me to the bedroom," I told him while taking his hand.

"Angel, we don't have time for that."

I laughed and looked back at him. He had a playful smirk on his face. That was unusual and very cute. "I'm not talking about having sex, Daryl. Well, at least not yet. I want to show you something."

"Sure. Right. What ya got?"

I opened the one set of closet doors. "Clothes. Lots of clothes."

Daryl looked at everything that was hanging in the closet. It was man's clothes. "Umm, I ain't wearing any of that."

"Babe, what is wrong with these?" Yeah, I was playing dumb. All he was seeing was suits, khakis, and polo shirts. Daryl was so not a polo shirt type of guy. That's why I took out a pink one and kept the ruse going. "I know you wear a lot of dark colors, but maybe you should try pink." I held the shirt up to him. "It goes well with your eyes."

"Angel, get that thing away from me. Now." His voice was low and he was starting to get pissed off.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. Look over to the far right. That's his 'other' clothes. They are more your style. Check out the jacket, too."

Daryl moved the clothes he hates aside and saw what I was talking about. He handed me a couple of shirts and pants, but lastly, he took out the leather jacket. "So he wasn't a complete douchebag. This is decent."

"It'll be good for the cold months. And you'll look so hot in that." Daryl looked down at the floor and not me. Was that a blush I saw on his cheeks? He was so cute. I kissed his scruffy cheek and said, "You are a hottie, Daryl. Gonna have to live with that." That earned me a growl. I loved his growls.

"Okay, I hid a bag of food in the girl's room. Let's get that out." He followed me as I headed into the pink room, and I was hit with a brief moment of sadness for this little girl. Most likely she was dead and would never know what a normal like was about. Would any of us ever see that again?"

"Angel, you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. It's in that toy chest under everything."

Daryl strutted over to the yellow chest and opened it up. He tossed out the toys and studded animals I had put on top and pulled out the heavy black bag. "Nice job," he told me.

That put a smile on my face. "We drop that off in the kitchen, and then I have something I show you." I swear I was as giddy as a schoolgirl.

He rolled his eyes at me. "I don't like surprises," he reminded me.

"Babe, you are soooo going to love this. I promise. Okay?" He waved me on, so I ran down the stairs. Daryl followed me to a door that was just off the laundry room.

"I'm going first," he told me.

"Be my guest," I responded with a big smile.

He shook his head at me and that only caused me to start laughing. I knew what was in that garage and I couldn't wait to see his reaction to it. I opened the door and he pushed through ahead. It was a two and a half car garage. One car was missing. The other was blocking the gate and Daryl's surprise took up the half.

Since the house was clear, I figured this would be too. I let Daryl do all the work as I stood in the doorway watching him. I knew exactly when he saw it. He lowered the crossbow and it dropped onto the cement floor.

The bike was covered in dust when I found it. I had taken a rag to it and cleaned it up the best I could. It still was shining. Even I knew that was a beautiful bike.

I watched him run a hand over the black leather seat, before glancing back at me. Then he looked at the gauges and I knew what he was seeing. "Full tank of gas and it only has one hundred twenty-six miles on it. Practically brand new."

"No, this is brand new. It was the most recent Fatboy model they put out. Fuck, I've always loved Harley's but could never afford one." I could hear in his voice how much he wanted it. "Damn, it's a perfect bike."

"Even has a seat on the back for me," I said, as I joined him next to the bike. "And you didn't think you'd like my transportation surprise."

Daryl finally stopped staring at the motorcycle and smiled at me. "Yeah, I doubted ya. Don't know why, but I ain't gonna do that again." He pulled me tight and kissed me hard on the lips. "Thanks. Wish I could do so sumthin' like this for you."

Oh, there was definitely something he could do for me, I just had to find a way to tell him. I didn't need gifts. At one time I did, but not now. Having him was enough. The bike would benefit both of us. All I did was find it and that was sheer luck.

"Just keep that back seat for me. That's all I need. Maybe we can try it out tomorrow?"

"I hope to. Damn, that's a nice bike. Okay, get me outta here or I may start to fiddle with it and we got shit to do first."

I took his hand and pulled him out of the garage and back into the house. Shadows were starting to set in, but we still had stuff to do. The truck needed to be brought in. We couldn't lose all that drinking water.

Daryl and I were still hand in hand when we go to the kitchen. He stopped and tugged me against him again. I loved being against him like this. "Thank you. I miss my old bike. It's a great way to get around and it uses less gas than a car. Shit, I don't deserve you," he said, pulling me tight into a hug.

"Well, I didn't buy it. I found it. This whole house gives us options that we didn't have before. Maybe, we can make this into a home for us, for however long the world lets us live here. I only want to be with you Daryl, no place else." I could have told him I loved him then. It fit, but I was afraid. I didn't think he was ready to hear that yet, so I hung onto my words. Soon, I would have to tell him, but not tonight. Not yet. But soon, real soon.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

 **Daryl**

Didn't know what I did to deserve Angel. When my life couldn't have gotten any worse, in came Jessie to save me. She was truly my own personal Angel. First, she literally saves my life. Then, she kept us fed with supplies she scavenged and could have died while getting more. And lastly, she wants to be with me. Me. Nobody ever wanted to be with me like she does, so I still have a hard time understanding it. Someone like her shouldn't want a deadbeat like me.

She is making me feel things that I never felt for a woman before. It's unnerving.

I do realize that back when things were normal, I was screwing around with the wrong types of women. Picking up a half-drunk woman in a bar didn't give me access to someone like Angel. I got skanks, especially in the types of bars I went to. Never would have found Angel there. She is one of a kind and she's all mine.

My first girlfriend isn't just a knockout, she's fuckin' perfect. She's hot. Hands down best chick I've ever seen. But that's not just what's makes her perfect for me. She gets me. Not many people do. I'm hard and can be a pain in the ass…a lot, and she don't let me get away with it. She has no problem calling me on it and I respect that. And even when I'm in one of my moods, I get a kick out of her. Just not gonna let her know that just yet.

Plus, I trust her. And I don't do that easily. Especially with someone I haven't known that long, but I knew I could trust her from the start.

And lastly, that girl loves fuckin'. I think she's hornier than me. Just looking at her, even back when there was nuthin' between us, I thought about what it would be like to have her naked under me. Now I don't need to wonder about that since we basically fuck all the time.

This sounds really lame, but I never knew sex could be so much fun. I missed out on a lot, but I'm glad Angel is the one I'm learning from now. And I'm having a damn good time with her. But everything she does has me thinkin' about shit I never thought of before. Like I don't want her to go nowhere. I want her with me all the time and usually, I'd rather be by myself. Not with Angel. I actually have fun with her and I can't say I've had fun with anything…ever.

I never thought about that with any of the other girls in our group like I do her. They're all like sisters to me, and Angel sure ain't.

Now, she's given me the best thing I could ever want. A new bike. And not just any bike, a Harley. The king of motorcycles and I finally got me one. If Merle was still alive he'd see his baby brother on that bike, with the hottest girl around. I'd dare him to say anything about that except, "Good going, little brother."

Enough thinking about that bike and Angel, we got stuff to get done before nightfall.

I released her from the hug I was holding her in. There was a question weighing on me. "Angel, how do you think we can get that gate open? We need to bring the water truck in."

"Not sure, but I have an idea," she said. "Follow me out to the SUV."

We both headed outside and I leaned the crossbow against the car as Angel opened the door. She pulled out a remote that was stored in the dash. "Let's try this. It had two buttons on it. One marked 'G' and the other marked "1". I'm thinking one does the gate and the other the garage."

"Did you try it when you were here before?"

"No, I only found it after I moved the SUV here. Here, give it a try after I back this thing up."

Angel handed me the remote. I grabbed my crossbow and she started the car. It was an Acura MDX with decent cargo space. It would make a great alternative to the bike. The car backed up and I hit the button on the remote.

Nothing. I pressed it again.

Still nothing.

We needed to get that gate to open and I sure didn't want to break it, if we didn't have to. But I had learned that electronics and the apocalypse really didn't work well together. In my frustration, I threw it to the ground and the back cover for the batteries popped off.

Then I got an idea. It could be as simple as the batteries were dead. The garage door didn't work as it needed electricity, but the gate had small solar panels I had noticed them right from the start. It just needed the sun to power it and we sure had plenty of that.

I picked up the remote and showed Angel. "Do you remember seeing any batteries in the house?"

"Maybe," she said. I could see that she was thinking. "In the kitchen, there was a plastic container that may have them. I'll show you."

We ran into the house and sure enough, there was an unopened package of AA batteries along with a few AAA's and some loose 9 volts. I changed out the batteries and we left the house to try it again. When we got back to the gate, I hit the button again. There was a creaking from the hinges that hadn't moved in probably two years. But they moved.

Angel flung herself into my arms in her excitement. Holding this girl never got old. We celebrated with a brief but still damn good kiss before we got to work. Took us about an hour to get everything done. We moved the water delivery truck in first and locked the gates again. Took out two walkers on the street, but other than that, it was quiet.

The SUV went back up against the gate again and we left the truck alongside the house. Between the two of us, we unloaded about a third of the bottles, before calling it a night. There was about an hour of sunlight left and we needed to make sure we could function for the night in the house.

We left two of the large containers of water in the kitchen and took two upstairs. We ate a quick cold dinner standing up in the kitchen before the night started to settle in.

"I'll grab the candles around the house and bring them up," I told Angel.

"Okay, I'm going to close the curtains upstairs and wash," she told me. Angel ran up the stairs before I could question her. Didn't she already wash up?

I figured it was a woman thing, so I let it alone. Instead of trying to figure her out, I grabbed every candle I could find and brought them up to the biggest bedroom. No sense in hanging out downstairs when there was nothing to do. The king size bed, however, gave us plenty of ideas to keep busy. I was pretty sure that Angel had a bigger sex drive than I did. Which says a lot, because all I do I think about fuckin' her.

After I put them around the room and closed the curtains, I notice that it certainly has a romantic feel to it now. I absolutely nuthin' about being romantic. And I got no idea if Angel is into that shit or not, but this is both a necessity to see maybe it will score me a few points with her.

When I'm done getting everything lit, I notice that she has the bathroom door closed. That's odd. What reason would she have to do that?

"Hey Angel, you comin' out?"

"Just finishing up. Give me a few more minutes," she called out.

Now, what the fuck is she finishing up? I took off my boots and socks and tossed them to the side. I was about to lie down on the bed when I decided to take my shirt off. With Angel, I had lost any self-consciousness I had about my scars. It was like they didn't exist around her and I could relax and not worry about being judged.

Then I waited and waited. What was that girl doing?

Finally, the door opened and I looked over at her. Angel was standing in the doorway and my mouth hit my chest. Words wouldn't come out. Her hair was loose the way I like it and she was wearing I'm not sure what to call it. It was kinda a black bra, but it sure didn't cover much at all. Then she had on the tiniest lacey shorts I've ever seen. You could see through them.

"You like?" she purred as she made her way over to the bed.

"Fuck yeah," I finally managed to say. "Where you get that those?"

"Seems that lady that used to live here really liked Victoria Secret. She has a whole drawer with naughty lingerie. She's a bit smaller than me on top, but it almost fits." By now Angel was straddling me. When she leaned down to kiss me, her tits were practically falling out. She was the sexiest woman I had ever seen. And she put that on for me. How the hell did I ever get so damn lucky?

"It took all that time to put that on? You know it's coming right off," I told her. I almost didn't recognize my own voice.

"I was doing other things in there, feel this…" she grabbed my hand and placed it on her calf. It was smooth. Since bathing wasn't always possible, many women gave up shaving, but apparently, Angel decided it was time.

"You know that didn't bother me, right?" I said in between kisses.

"I know."

I reached behind her and popped the bra. I pulled the straps off her shoulders and it ended up somewhere. Angel sat up and I knew she could feel my dick through the jeans. It was hard the second I saw her.

My hands reached up and squeezed her tits. God, they felt so good in my hands. She closed her eyes as I played with her, before tugging on her nipples harder than normal. Angel's eyes flashed open and they dared me to do it again. So I did. And she liked it. Her little moans told me she did.

Then she moved so she was squatting over my legs. Her hands undid my belt and she slowly lowered the zipper on the pants. "You are going to start to wear underwear. I found some that are very clean, cause I don't want the zipper to catch you." She flashed me a devious smile. "I like your dick too much."

I never liked the idea of wearing someone else's drawers, but these days we couldn't be too choosy. "I'll take a look at them," was the best answer she was going to get. In the meantime, I lifted my hips and she yanked off the pants. And I was flying at full mast…as usual when she was around.

Angel kneeled next to me and immediately wrapped her little fingers around me. "You know," she said as she swirled her tongue around the end of my cock. I had to close my eyes it felt so damn good. "I'm never going to get tired of doing this. I love having you in my mouth."

"You don't hear me complaining, do ya?" Before I could say another thing she went from just playing with me to practically having me down her throat. Usually, it takes her longer to get that deep. "Goddamn, woman!" I groaned. "I fuckin' swear no one is better at that than you. Fuck!"

Angel had me deep in her throat in seconds. Then she pulled out to get some air and I felt her lips travel up and down my length. I popped another pillow behinds my head so I could watch her. She was a damn glorious sight.

All that dark hair of hers was pulled over one shoulder as she bobbed up and down. The sensations flowing through me I couldn't get enough of. No chick had ever made me feel this way. I was so hot and so horny for her all the time. Even when I'm clearing a room, I think about her, which isn't good. My head isn't where it needs to be at times, but I can't help it.

She's got one hand wrapped around me at the base with her mouth is doing its best to make me come, but when she starts playing with my balls that's about all I can stand. "Angel…" I started to groan, but I can barely even get out her name to warn her before I start coming in her mouth. She's got me in deep again and I'm down that goddamn throat of hers. She's taking every drop I'm giving her.

"Ahh, fuck," is all I can say the wild waves of electricity shoot through me. I've never come for anyone like I do her.

Every other blowjob I've had before doesn't even come close to what she can do. She can milk it when she wants to or make me come fast like now. And this woman never gags. I know I'm not small or even average. I got the dick in the family. While Merle certainly was one all the time, he wasn't near as big as I am. He never said anything, but we both knew I was way bigger than he was. It was the one thing he couldn't put me down about.

"You taste so good," she tells me as she climbs up the bed and lies down next to me. I look into those unique eyes of hers as she presses her lips to mine. Yeah, it's weird every time she does that. Me tasting me from her.

There is one thing that I've never done. It's taste her or any woman. Never wanted to. Figured it would be all about her and the chicks I had been with I didn't have any inclination to try it with. They were all about me. Sure, I was a selfish son-of-a-bitch, but the only reason I hooked up back then was for myself to get off.

That's not the case anymore.

I see how much Angel enjoys going down on me, so I'm thinkin' after everything that she has done for me, I should give it a try. I'll probably fuck it up, but I know she'll tell me if I'm getting it wrong. Should I?

I should. No, wait. Can I do that? I'm not sure now.

Fuck it, I'm overthinkin' this. Just do it, Dixon.

We kiss for a little while longer as I get my courage up. Plus, some energy back. I'm not as young as I used to be.

While our mouths are still fused together, I move so that I'm more on top of her. My hand goes right for a breast. I give it a few squeezes before taking her nipple between my finger and tugging on it. Angel is starting to squirm under me. She's not delicate at all. She likes me to be rough with her. That's what gets her off and in turn that gets me off.

I move lower on her body and take that same nipple between my teeth. I love that she gets pleasure from the little pain I love inflicting on her. Now, I'm moving down her body and my fingers grab the waistband of those sexy lacey shorts she has on. Can I even call them shorts? They are so small and see through that they couldn't be worn in public.

Slowly, I inch them down her hips. I can smell her arousal as I am that close to her. She's showing more and more skin, but what the fuck? She didn't tell me that she shaved there too. I look up and her and she's smiling at me.

"You were busy in that bathroom."

"You don't know how good that feels now. I always kept it shaved before." As sexy as she is, it just increased ten-fold.

"Only ever saw this in porn," I told her as I took the panties off all the way. Now I even had more incentive to go down on her.

"What else did you see in those movies?"

I didn't answer her. Instead, I lay down between her legs and kissed her soft skin as I got closer to her pussy. My fingers had touched her before so I started with that. Since she was bare, I could see everything better than before. I easily slipped two fingers inside of her. She was soaking wet for me. I pumped my fingers in and out of her several times, before removing them and spreading her lips so I could see her clit.

I didn't dare look at her as I slowly lowered my mouth to her. I flicked my tongue on it a few times as she groaned loudly, "Sweet Mother of God." That gave me the incentive to keep going as I guess she liked it. I could add this to my vastly expanding list of sex shit I now did. And even though I had just came hard, I could feel life again perking up in my dick.

Summa bitch.

I think I liked doing this.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

 **Angel**

Today has been such a great day! We found the house. We found a good supply of clean water. Daryl loves the motorcycle, but that was a given. And now after giving him one of my world-class blowjobs, he is finally going down on me. I am so glad I shaved down there today.

I couldn't resist. I knew there was shaving cream and a good razor in the bathroom from when I scouted this house. I've been thinking of doing this ever since. Of course, my legs and underarms had to be done first. They were just so manly looking, they were even grossing me out. But once, they were baby soft, I knew I had to do down there. I have always loved a smooth pussy and I've yet to find a guy that didn't enjoy it too.

The blowjob that Daryl just got was just a warm-up. I'm looking forward to having him in me pounding away, but I didn't expect this first. I had hoped he would do this at some point, but it was still a surprise.

God, his tongue felt so incredible on me.

"Oh, Babe," I sighed. "You're doing so good with that mouth of yours. Just like that. Oh, God…yes." I loved giving him a little encouragement. "Add those fingers back in and it's…Oh, God…it's fucking phenomenal."

I love that he follows directions so well. I asked and those fingers were back in me before I could even finish what I was saying. It had been way too long since a guy did this to me and my body was responding fast. Faster than I wanted it to, but I wasn't going to hold back. I knew I was going to come hard and I wanted that so damn bad. I needed Daryl to see what he could do to me…so he'd do this again and again.

When he sucked on me in combination with using his tongue, I was done. Just done. Without warning, I started to buck violently on the bed. God bless that man because he kept his face planted firmly between my legs the entire time.

"Oh God, Daryl. You gotta stop, please," I eventually begged. I was so sensitive after coming that it had gotten too much for me.

"You okay? I didn't hurt you?" he asked.

I raised my head and looked down at him. He was resting on one arm with his other hand on my thigh. His eyes were concerned and a bit confused. This was definitely his first time.

"I'm so good you have no idea. C'mon up here."

I could smell myself on him as he settled in next to me. We both lay on our sides facing each other. His beard was wet and shiny. I leaned in and kissed him. That never bothered me at all. "Did you like doing that?" I asked him.

"Wasn't sure in the beginning, but yeah I liked it. Especially when you went crazy on the bed. Umm…how did you know?"

I knew was he was asking. How did I know he had never done that before? Woman's intuition and experience. Pure and simple.

"I was that bad, wasn't I?"

That's when he got a big smile. "No, Babe. You were really good." But he rolled his eyes at me. "I mean it. You saw how hard I came. It's just that we've been together a couple of weeks and that was the first time you did that. Plus, I didn't think with the type of girls you told me you were with, that would have happened. Right?"

He nodded that I was correct in my assumptions. "Why'd you want me to stop then?"

I brushed the hair out of his face. "Because women get very sensitive and direct stimulation like that becomes uncomfortable sometimes. That happens to me especially when I come that hard. And Babe, I came real hard. Thank you."

He kissed me again, before asking if he could wash up. I was tired of smelling me on him too. Daryl headed into the bathroom and I happily watched his naked butt as he walked away.

Then smile that had been on my face quickly disappeared.

We never talked about his scars again after that first time. I ignore them even though they are impossible not to. It still infuriates me that his father did that to him. There is no way I could ever understand what would make a man do that to his young son? He didn't just physical mark him, that asshole scarred him mentally too. Both by his actions and his words. Daryl never thought he was worth anything until the world went to shit. He knows he's a good man, but he still doesn't quite believe it. My poor Daryl.

I will never tell him how I feel. He doesn't want anyone's pity. Instead, all he will see from me is love and an occasional hard time. I am, who I am.

My thoughts completely changed when he walked back into the room. Instantly, I noticed Daryl was almost fully hard again. That man had a decent recovery time for a guy his age. He blew out the candles on the way back, leaving us in complete darkness. When he got back onto the bed, I encouraged him to simply go between my legs and go for it. That's what we both wanted. We always did. I craved him non-stop. Thank God, he felt the same way.

Afterward, we crawled under the covers and I fell asleep with his arms around me completely satiated and happy. It felt like nothing had changed in the world. That wouldn't last long, but for a little bit that's how I felt.

The next morning, sunlight was trying to peak in behind the dark curtains when we both woke up. I don't think either of us has slept that good in days, if not longer. I laughed to myself how I had changed about so many things that used to bother me in the past. When the world was still normal, I would change my sheets every Thursday. Never on Friday, but always on Thursday. Now I was sleeping on sheets that belonged to someone else. I doubted they were even clean, but I didn't care. I wore clothes and underwear that wasn't mine and it didn't bother me. I'm sure the family that loved here woke up that day and never expected not to return. Nothing here indicted a single bag was packed. Toothbrushes were still in the bathroom. They like so many others they simply ceased to exist.

Daryl was behind me nuzzling my neck. I was also being poked in the butt and it wasn't by any of his fingers as his arms were wrapped around me. Looks like someone wanted to play this morning. This time I pushed him on his back and I got on top of him. He slipped inside of me and I started to move my hips back and forth. In this position, he was so deep inside me. God that felt good.

"Good morning," I laughed as I rode him.

"Hell, yeah," he agreed giving me that sexy half smile of his. I didn't understand how any of the women he knew could have resisted that look. It was killer.

"I have a confession to make." It was time to tell him about me spying on him that day at the swimming hole. How mad could he get since we were in the middle of having sex?

"What's that?" Daryl had his hands on my hips moving me along to his rhythm.

"That day you took me to the swimming hole, wasn't the first time I had been there."

He looked at me confused. "You knew about it?"

"Yes, but only because the day you went by yourself, I followed you. I hid behind that big rock and watched you." I hesitated for adding, "The entire the time."

"What did you see?"

"I saw you strip down so I knew what you were packing before we got together." He didn't laugh like I had hoped. Then I started to get nervous. So I picked up the pace I was moving my hips but his hands slowed me down.

"Go on."

"Well, I saw you swim and try to wash up."

"And?"

This was definitely not going the way I had hoped. I had to tell him everything. "I watched you jerk off, too."

"Did you like that?"

I nodded my head vigorously that I did.

"Good. I was thinking of you while I did it. I wanted you bad back then too." He emphasized his words by a particularly hard thrust into me. "Fuckin' witch."

"I thought I was an angel?" I asked with a smile. Pfew, he wasn't mad.

He looked at me not blinking at all. Our hips never stopped moving. I kind of liked having a conversation while we had sex. I had to remember that for the future. If I had to confess anything else again this was the time to do it.

"You're both and you know it. I guess I should tell you that when I took you there after you got back, I kinda watched you too. But all I saw was your tits. Didn't see anything else, like you did." He had a sexy, but sheepish look on his face.

"Did you like them?" My turn to mess with him a bit.

"Fuck, yeah. How could I not? You know you got great knockers."

"I do, don't I?" I laughed "But I knew you looked."

"How? I was quiet."

Our hips changed up the rhythm a bit before I answered. "I was expecting you to…you're a guy. In fact, I wanted you to so that's why I turned so you could see them. I caught you out of the corner of my eye." I leaned down to drop a kiss. "It was such a turn on."

He laughed and shook his head. "You are something else. Swear I never met anyone like you."

"And you never will again." I picked up his hands and placed them on my breasts. "If you like these so much, then why aren't you touching them?"

"Hell, if I know," he laughed. "But I got one more thing for ya.

Okay, I wasn't expecting anything else. Did he get something past me? "What's that?"

Before he told me, he flipped us around so I was on the bottom now while he continued to thrust into me. I could feel the start of an orgasm building quickly. God, this man made me hornier than anyone else I had ever been with. I know, I'm a girl and I shouldn't admit to that, but I don't care.

"Seeing your tits and thinking you were the hottest thing I had ever seen got me real hard. So while you were drying off…I was jerking off to ya…again."

My eyes got big. He did that twice thinking about me? "I love it, you naughty boy! After I saw you jack off that first time I wanted to take you in my mouth to finish you up. God, I am so glad we did this."

He groaned a "Me too," and I knew he was about to come. That sound of that groan gave it away every time.

Then I moaned the words I knew he loved to hear, "Fuck me hard."

He did just that and we both came within seconds. Daryl eventually collapsed on top of me, with his head resting on my shoulder. We were both sweaty and completely out of breath. Finally, he slid off of me and ending up on his back. Daryl's eyes were closed as his chest rose up and down rapidly to match his still heavy breathing.

I turned onto my side to face him. My index finger started to draw random patterns on his chest. "Daryl, you know I'm not here just for the sex, right?" As much as I love being with him this way and as good as we are together, we're more than that. I needed him to know this.

He opened his blue eyes and smiled at me. I felt his fingers run across my cheek. "And neither am I. That's all I used to be about, but not with you. Everything is different with you."

"I love you, Daryl." He looked just as surprised as I was at my words. I knew I loved him for a while now, but I really didn't intend to say that. It just popped out. How could I not love him? He was such an incredible man.

He didn't say anything for at least a minute. I was starting to worry that I was scaring him away. "No one's ever loved me before," he said softly.

I knew he didn't just mean another woman, he meant ever. His parents never loved him. He fully believed that. First, he was ignored as a child, and then he was violently abused. That's not love. Not even close.

"I do. I can't believe no one has ever seen what an amazing man you are. Maybe if another woman did, we wouldn't be here together now, so I think that makes me damn lucky." We may live in the middle of a world where the dead still roamed the earth and our lives were in jeopardy every single day, but I felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

"I never met nobody like you before," he admitted. "I've been thinkin' about stuff and feelin' stuff that was confusing me. I can't get you out my head. You smile at me and I think my hearts gonna jump outta my chest. And you got me wantin' you so fuckin;' bad that's it's all I can ever think about. You just told me what it was. Damn, I fuckin' love you too."

That was the most romantic thing he could have ever said to me. I don't expect flowery words of love from him. That's not Daryl, nor would I want him to try to be that way. I want him exactly how he is. So that's why I started to cry.

His calloused fingertips wiped away my wet tears. "Umm…happy tears?" he asked.

"Yes. Very happy tears." I kissed him. This was starting out to be a damn good day. The kiss continued for a while until I snuggled down beside Daryl with his arm holding me against him. I wanted to be able to stay like this forever. "I love you," I told him again. Even though it was morning, I was ready to take a nap with my man.

"Are we gonna be saying this a lot, cause I never even told anyone I liked them? I ain't used to this." The slight exasperation in his gruff voice almost made me laugh. He was adorable.

"I will, but that's me. I know you love me, so you can just say something when you want to. I don't want you feeling like you have to. Okay?"

"As long as you don't expect me to get all mushy about this, I'm good," he told me before adding, "I love you too, Angel. We going back to sleep?"

"Yes, today is too special to do anything but spend it in bed. Let's take a nap and then we can celebrate by you taking me from behind and maybe more, okay?"

Daryl gave me one of his patented stares. "You say that and you expect me to wait?"

"Yes, I do. I need a nap because you wore me out. After that, anything goes!" I loved the frustration I saw on his face. I cuddled as close to him as I could get. I would be more than happy to show him how much I loved him over and over again today. There were a few positions I still wanted to try, but I was going to get this nap in first, even if it was a short one. Then Daryl Dixon was going to know what it was like to be in love with me. Together, we were going to be an unbeatable team. I had no doubts about that.

.

* * *

Sorry this is so late, but the site wasn't letting us post new chapters for most of the day.

I've also decided that this will be most likely my last story here. I get so little feedback/reviews and that means less people read it. I'll be solely posting on Wattpad after this. I use the same ID.

Thank you.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

 **Daryl**

I'm happy. Can I say that? She fuckin' loves me. No one has ever told me that before and I mean no one. The only people that ever gave a damn about me were Rick, Carol, and the rest of them. We knew we had each other's backs and I would have stepped in front of a bullet for any of them, but this was different. Jessie…Angel…loves me. I know I never felt like this before.

She's asleep next to me, but my mind is going a mile a minute trying to process this. There's no way I'm going back to sleep. The stuff I was feeling about her I didn't know what to do with. I'm a loner, I prefer to be by myself, but with Angel, it's the exact opposite. I want her around me all the time. Even back when she was gone for those days scavenging, I missed her like crazy. I mean I miss Rick and Carol, but I didn't need to touch them like I do her. It's a different type of missing if that makes any sense at all.

Angel makes me feel whole. That's the only way I can describe it. It's like the heavyweight I felt on my shoulders for years has eased. She makes me laugh. No one makes me laugh. Maybe Lil' Asskicker did, but other than that, there was nuthin' worth laughing about. Now I got her.

Almost more importantly, I'm not alone anymore. That sounds stupid coming from a self-proclaimed loner, but it's true. When I was with the group, I could go out on my own when I needed to. I liked that and needed it, but I could always go back to them.

But now they are gone or at least I think they are. I searched for someone…anyone for days after the Saviors burned Alexandria, but I found nuthin'. I lost the only people that ever mattered to me until Angel burst into my life. Now I can't picture it without her. And best of all, she taught me was love is. I never wanted it, because everyone that should have loved me left me or hurt me. Except that ain't my Angel. She would never do that to me. I was betting my heart on that.

Yesterday ended up being a wasted day, but it was a great one. I should have checked the fence around the property for weak points, maybe set up some spikes to catch walkers, or brought in more water so we could get rid of that truck, but I did nothing except stay in bed having the best sex of my life. Sure the sex I had before really sucked, but this was like the Harley of sex and I had like scooter sex before. That's how different it was with Angel.

The sun's just coming up and I got a lot to do today. I've got good incentive to get everything done fast. There's a Harley with my name on that I need to ride. I'm doing that this afternoon no matter what.

I swing my legs off the bed and sit on the side before I get my naked ass up. Immediately from behind me I heard Angel mumbling, so I turn to look at her and see her sleepy eyes smiling at me.

"Where you going?" she asked. Usually, she pulls her hair back at night, but she was so tired from our sex-filled day, that she wore it loose. It flowed around her like a black silk. I have a weird obsession with her hair. It's fuckin' awesome.

"We got a lot of shit to do today since all we did yesterday was fuck."

"Are you complaining?"

That got a smile outta me. "Hell no, but we gotta make sure this place is as secure as we can make it. Maybe hide that driveway somehow. And we got that water truck to finish unloading. Then I'm taking the Harley out."

"Can I come?" she asked leaving little kisses on my back.

"Fuck, yeah," I told her. She belonged riding behind me. Carol and Maggie had both ridden with me on Merle's old chopper. This was different. It was my girl riding behind me – riding bitch. And yeah I wanted that. This falling in love shit was sure changing me.

I went to get up, but Angel put her hand on my shoulder. "Do you have to go right now?"

I should since there was a lot I wanted to get done today, but I didn't have to. "Should, but you got something else in mind?"

Just the expression on her beautiful face told me what she wanted. Sex with me. Again.

Next thing I knew I was climbing back into bed and we both ended up very happy.

The rest of the morning, I worked like a man on a mission. I knew what I had to get done in order to take the bike out. Our safety was the most important thing that I needed to work on, but I was dying to try the Harley.

The fence was very secure, so unless a huge herd descended on us, we should be safe. There was a shed in the backyard where I found some tools and stuff for the property. I wanted to come up with something else to help keep the walkers away, but that was going to take some thought. Spikes always worked well, but I had to figure out a way to secure them.

I emptied out the water truck so all of the containers were lining the front porch for easy access. We easily had about forty of them. It was safe, clean drinking water which was rare to find. I put out some buckets in the backyard in case it rained, but there was no sign of that in the sky. It was a clear, hot humid day and I was nothing but a sweaty mess.

Meanwhile, Angel was inside working. She was organizing the food. Her plan was to keep some out for us, hide some and repack our packs. Each night they would move from downstairs to up by us. This way if we had to make an escape, we had supplies, a few clothes, and ammo. We always needed to think ahead.

She finished that by midmorning and started wiping down everything inside. Everything there had a thick coat of dust on it. We couldn't live in that environment for long, so she was cleaning her way through the house. I knew she preferred to be outside with me, but there was so much to get done and none of it was fun.

The only thing I had left on my list for today was to get rid of the truck. When we moved the SUV from blocking the gate, I could drive the water truck out to get rid of it. After that, I was free for a ride. Sure there was plenty of other shit I could have done, but I needed to ride.

The bike I had built with Aaron was lost when Alexandria burned. It was gone when I walked through the shell of what we used to call home. A savior probably stole it…again. And I liked that damn bike too.

That was months ago. I needed this ride almost as bad as I need Angel. I went back into the house and heard her upstairs. Quietly, I slipped into the garage and headed to the bike. Damn, she was a beauty even in the dark garage. I lifted up one of the doors so I could bring the Harley outside. By the time I got it sitting in the center of the driveway, Angel was already walking out the front door. She must have heard the garage door go up.

"We ready to go riding?" she asked.

"Almost. Gotta move the SUV out of the way and get rid of the truck. Then we can go. How 'bout I move the car and you get a backpack for the trip."

"Full or empty?"

I loved how she thought. Full meant there was a chance we won't be back. Empty was if we were going scavenging. I had an idea of where I wanted to go and that required an empty pack that we could fill.

"Empty. But make sure you have extra ammo on you."

"You have a plan, I can see it written all over your face. Where are we going?"

"I wanna go back to that store we found. Figured we could stock up on cigarettes and…" Angel was already giving me a look before I could finish. I knew she didn't like me smoking, but after all these years, I wasn't going to quit now. "Can I finish before you start giving me that look?" That earned me a roll of the eyes. "I seem to remember they had jerky, and other stuff we could use. Plus, they had all of those boxes of candy bars."

"Be right back!" she told me as she ran up the front steps. Yeah, I knew she had a weakness for chocolate.

It was still early afternoon by the time we were ready to go. I had parked the water truck on another block so it was away from us. The only thing I had to do was start the motorcycle for the first time. It may not have been used for a while, but there shouldn't be anything wrong with it.

We had closed the gate after we got rid of the water truck., There was no way I wanted any unwelcome company in here. I was ready to turn the key but stopped. "You ever been on a bike before?" I asked Angel.

"What do you think? I drove my parent's crazy dating guys they hated."

Yep, she had been on a bike.

"I'll get it going and we'll walk it out past the gate. You use the remote to close up. But I think we shouldn't take the remote with us. What do you think?" If we lost the pack and or the remote for the gate, we'd have no way to easily come and go. We needed to hide it until we got back.

"Good idea." Angel and I were on the same page.

Now was the moment of truth. I straddled the bike and kicked up the kickstand. I didn't realize I was holding my breath as I turned the key. This wasn't just a mode of transportation, this would give me back my freedom.

With a roar, the engine came to life. Goddamn, I loved that sound. That was as good as any reason to smile. Angel was just as excited to get going as I was. I walked the bike past the gates and she used the remote to close them up. It took her a few minutes longer than I liked for her to find a hiding place for it, but soon we were heading down the deserted street.

"I love this," Angel shouted to me as we sped past abandoned houses and weaved around deserted cars. There was nothing like the feeling of being on a motorcycle. The freedom, the wind in your face, and I felt like I was back in control again. My life was headed in a new direction and I liked it.

I liked the feel of Angel's arms around me. A man on his Harley with his girl. That's all I needed. This bike was powerful, yet it handled so smoothly. I was loving every second as we sped toward the convenience store. I always had a good sense of direction, so I knew where it was.

We started out with just a few detours due to pockets of walkers that we were encountering. Must have been about halfway there when we hit the motherload. I turned that bike around as quickly as I could and shouted, "Hang on!" to Angel. The only problem was there was a herd behind us too. Harley's were loud and they were following the noise.

I was the damned Pied Piper of walkers…again. Except this time we were not in the lead. Angel and I were in the middle of two converging herds and I had to get us out of it. And fast!

Angel's arms wrapped tighter around me and he head was against my sweaty back. Couldn't go forward or back, so the only choice was to the right as the left was nothing but an open ball field. I had no idea where I was going, but I turned down the only side road I could get to. That wasn't much better either.

It was like the dead were multiplying. "We need a place to hide out in!" I yelled back to Angel. "Look out for one."

Within a few seconds, I saw her point. "Try there!"

It was a small complex of offices – medical, dental, and a lawyer. There was a second floor to it that looked like had apartments above them. We needed to get to that second floor. There was only a handful of walkers in the parking lot, so I took a big chance and headed to the back of the building. The apartment entrances had to be back there. Sure enough, there were stairs leading up to about five different doors.

I killed the noisy engine and we jerked to a stop. Angel was off in a flash and I was right behind her. I tried to keep the bike as close to the building as possible. Any size herd would knock it over and we needed that to get home.

Angel ran up the steps and tried the first door. "It's locked!" she called down to me.

"Not for long!" Walkers didn't climb steps so we just needed a place to get away from them. I ran up the wooden staircase and used my momentum and shoulder against the door. It flew open and I fell inside the opening. Damn, that fuckin' hurt.

I was holding onto my shoulder as Angel pushed past me to clear the room. She knew what had to get done and did it simply and efficiently. When I heard a loud thud, I was instantly concerned. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Just took one out. Looks like that's all that was here."

I was standing up shaking out my arm when she got back to the main room. "Now, are you okay?"

There was no way I was going to let her know I was getting too old to do shit like that. My shoulder was throbbing like a sumabitch, but no fuckin; way was I going to look like a wuss in front of her. "I'm good, except I almost got us killed."

"Daryl, that was not you. That was bad luck. How were we to know this place is overrun? It wasn't a few days ago. When they move out, we'll be fine."

"Yeah, well…it was my idea to come here," I mumbled. I hated when I fucked up.

"Come sit over here." I joined Angel on the sofa. "You need to stop blaming yourself when things go wrong, Daryl. Shit happens and it's no one's fault." Her hands were on my injured shoulder. I could feel her trying to massage the pain away. She knew even though I denied it, that it hurt. And I wasn't even getting crap about lying.

"I guess." That's as much as I was going to admit.

"So how long do you think we'll need to stay?" she asked.

I looked over at her and once again realized how lucky I was. My parents would have been blaming each other when shit went wrong. They always did. Not my Angel. She supported me and damn that felt good. "At least overnight. Tomorrow we can look out the windows to see if the herds have moved on. As much as I love this bike, the noise it makes attracts them. Gonna have to be careful."

"It is a great bike, isn't it?" she laughed. "I love that rumble between my legs."

We were stuck in a small apartment with a dead walker in the other room, what else was there to do? With her around the thought of sex was never far away. "You want a rumble between your legs? That bike's got nothing on me. Time to make you remember that."

"Oh, really? Now how are you going to do that?" she purred. Just knowing she was always up for anything got me hard. I was basically one non-stop hard-on.

I never answered her question. I was more of a man of action, then words. My face planted between her thighs as she came over and over again showed her how much better I was then the bike. About four orgasms better. I was getting damn good at this. Just ask Angel.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

 **Angel**

Yesterday was another wild day in the lives of Daryl and Angel. See, he even had me calling myself Angel now. I will admit when we hit those two converging herds things got quite a bit scary. But I knew Daryl would get us out of it. I trusted him completely.

And he did.

We've been hiding out in this apartment since yesterday afternoon waiting for the walkers to move on. Since there was nothing to do, we did what we do best...have sex. It was kind of a turn on with a dead thing in the other room. Yes, I am a bit weird. Daryl is slowing finding that out. Can't have him know all of my secrets right off the bat.

One thing he has learned really quickly is how much I love it when he goes down on me. For a guy that never did that before, he as has become an expert in such a short time. I finally had to beg him to stop as I just couldn't take anymore. I was coming over and over again, and he never stopped.

My big bad energizer bunny.

He had taken such good care of me, without coming at all himself. That's why when he sat back, I straddled him immediately and rode him like there was no tomorrow. As long as Daryl was getting it up, we were getting it on.

The room was hot and stuffy to begin with. We didn't help that at all. By the time we deemed it safe to leave, the room smelled of a dead body, sweat, and sex. It was really pretty gross by the end, but we did have fun.

Together we searched the apartment for anything we could take back with us. There was absolutely no food. It was a good thing I had thrown a package of jerky and two water bottles in the backpack. Otherwise, we'd be hungrier than we already were.

We took candles, matches, a can opener and a cute little cat carving that I liked. That earned me a raise of the eyebrows from Daryl, but he didn't say anything.

"What do you think?" I asked him. We both were looking out the front windows at the parking lot and street beyond. It seemed like the herd had moved on.

"Looks good. What about we check the rest of these apartments before we head out?" he asked.

"Are we bailing on the convenience store?" I did have my heart set on some more chocolate.

Daryl shook his head yes. "We still a have ways to go, and we had to waste yesterday. Maybe another time. We still got shit to do to make the house safer for us. We can scavenge our way back."

I knew he was right, but I hated giving up that chocolate. The more time it took us to get back to that store, the bigger chance that someone else would find it. Today, just wasn't that day. "Let's do it."

We snuck as quietly as we could out the door and down the steps. We had to break into each subsequent unit, but this time Daryl kicked the doors in instead of using his shoulder. We grabbed what food we could find. One of the apartments had some tools, so I took that too. Also, any candles we found we grabbed. They were heavy, but it was our only way to have light at night so we needed as many as we could find.

The pack was pretty hefty, so Daryl helped me get it on. Then the bike took us away from our temporary overnight quarters and we headed home. Daryl had us back within two hours, and the dead we encountered were few and far between. Certainly, not like we had yesterday. Thank God.

"I got an idea about blocking the driveway," Daryl said as he stored the motorcycle in the garage.

"What's that?"

He walked over to the open doorway, and I followed him. "What if we move two broken down cars along our side of the road at the end of the drive, but not blocking the driveway. Then we put a car that works blocking the drive, with another deadbeat car behind that. Nothing tight together and kinda haphazard. This way if we need to take out the SUV, we just move that one car. Maybe pull a spark plug in it, so people think it's dead."

"I like that," I told him. "It'll block the dead if we get a herd and maybe stop the living from noticing the driveway. Maybe scatter dirt at the ends, so it looks unused. Good idea."

"There's still some daylight left, maybe we could look at some of the cars on the street," he suggested.

I was tired, sweaty, and still smelled like sex. The last thing I wanted to do was push a car, but he was right. The more we could do to protect us the better.

During the next couple days, our main concern was trying to hide from the world. We found the broken down cars that would work along the road we lived off of. With just the two of us, it was a lot of work to push them where we needed them, but we managed to do it. We made sure that everything was random in how they were left. No straight parking, but everything was crooked.

It was finding a car that actually worked that took some time. Daryl finally found an old Toyota that he was able to get going. Moving that off the end of the drive was how we could get the SUV out. His bike just maneuvered around everything.

We set up spikes for any errant walkers in the woods that surround the house. The further we could keep them from us, the better, but so far we had been lucky and seen very few around us. Our best find was a gas grill in the backyard of one of the houses. We rolled it up the street and used the gas sparingly. Cold food was no longer our only option.

Weeks went by without too many problems. Daryl and I still did everything together. We scavenged, we hunted, and we just took rides on the Harley. It was rare for either one of us to go out alone. Daryl and I talked a lot and we pretty much knew all there was to know about each other. In the evenings, there wasn't much else to do except talk or have sex. We usually did both. As upset as I had been when I found out I wasn't going to be able to have kids, it was a blessing now not to have to worry about that. We had sex as often as we could. Neither of us tired of the other at all. Some days I'd be doing something in the house, and he'd come in from outside and start taking my pants off. We'd do it where ever we were. I'd do the same thing to him. When the urge hit, and it hit often, neither of us ever said no. I never had a more perfect partner.

Days keep going by but Daryl had started to get cranky on me all of a sudden, and I wasn't sure what was up with him. Until one night when it was time to eat, he snapped at me, and I let him have it.

"Listen. I'm tired of you being a dick to me. What the fuck's your problem?" I was a classic pissed off woman, with my hands on my hips glaring at him.

"Nuthin'. Just give me something to eat," he grumbled.

No this was not how we were going to finish this. "Nope. Not until you tell me what crawled up your ass." Then a little softer I added, "What's going on, babe?"

He leaned his hands on the edge of the kitchen counter. "It's stupid. Sorry, I'm being a dick. It's just…"

"Just what?" I was pretty sure I hadn't done anything wrong, but something was bugging him these last few days.

"I'm outta smokes, and it's…hard."

The poor guy was going through nicotine withdrawal. There was hopefully a way to solve that. "Oh, Daryl. You should have said something. Tomorrow, let's go back to that convenience store. Hopefully, no one's raided it yet."

"You sure?" He wanted to go, I could tell from the look on his face. He needed his nicotine fix.

"Definitely. You get cigarettes, and I get chocolate. It's a win-win. Let's get an early start, but maybe we should take the SUV. That way we can clean the place out. A backpack won't carry much." There was still something that he wasn't telling me. His emotions were always easy to read. "What?"

"Could we take both? I agree we can fill the SUV with everything, but…I need a ride too."

I guess he thought I would get mad that he wanted separate vehicles. Of course, I would love to have him in the SUV, but he never asked for anything, and we did everything together. There was no way I could refuse him. "Daryl, that fine. I just have one request." His blue eyes met mine. "If anything goes down, stay with me. We have to stay together. Okay?"

He pulled me into his arms. "Okay. Of course. And thank you. I don't deserve you, Angel. I really don't."

"Quit being stupid," I told him. "You deserve the best, and you got it, so quit the negativity." I felt his chest move as he chuckled.

"Got the best damn girl, that's fer sure. Thanks for understanding."

Daryl got a big smile from me. He needed smokes and space, I got that because for me it was chocolate and space. Having a few hours along in the car and him on his bike, was what we both needed. It would make us stronger.

His lips met mine, and we didn't eat dinner until much later. Next thing I knew I was bare-ass on the counter, and he was thanking me with his head plastered between my thighs. God, I loved this man.

* * *

.

The sun had only been up for a little while, and we were already moving the old Toyota out of the way so I could get the SUV out. So far our trick of trying to hide was working.

"Stay close," Daryl told me. "But if anything happens and we get separated, head back here. Don't go on. Okay?"

"Got it. Let's hope we have better luck this time. How long do you think it'll take?"

"I think it's about forty miles away, give or take. It depends on what we encounter. Maybe an hour, most likely more. You ready?" he asked me.

"I'm always ready. You know that." I gave him a wink out of the car window. "I get to watch your ass all the way there, so let's get rolling."

Daryl shook his head. I knew he thought I was crazy at times, but it kept a smile on his face. He leaned down to kiss me. "You know you are fucked up, right?"

"Yes, but that's why you love me."

"I sure as hell do." He didn't say it often, but I knew he loved me. He didn't have to. It wasn't his way, at least not yet. Love was a word that he never used before he met me. I knew he had to still get used to it, but I never questioned it. Love in the apocalypse was never meant to be normal.

He gave me one more long kiss through the open window before hopping on the Harley. And we were off. I certainly hoped this trip would be more successful than the last one.

And so far it was.

Took us a little over two hours, but we made it to the strip mall that housed the convenience store. Just had to make a few detours, but we got there without too much trouble. A pass by the front looked quiet, so we headed to the back where the door was unlocked. Daryl had his crossbow up and ready and I had my hand on the door.

"On three," he told me. Daryl counted us off, and I flung the door open. Nobody was inside. But better than that the supplies from earlier were still there. Daryl got his cigarettes, and I got my chocolate. Hallelujah! But we didn't risk our lives for just that. There were other food supplies and assorted items that these types of stores carried. We were going to take anything we could use.

"Let's see what's in the boxes, so we don't take shit we don't need," I suggested. Daryl nodded, so I took my knife out and started to slice the packing tape open. I had to be careful as the room only was getting light from the open door.

I noticed he was tapping his leg absently with his right hand. The crossbow was already slung onto his back, but he was kind of just standing there. I put the box of canned soup down and went over to one of the many cases of cigarettes. I popped it open and pulled out a carton. Turning, I handed it to Daryl. I knew he wouldn't ask. He would suffer through until the work was done. A few more minutes wouldn't hurt.

"Light one up."

He didn't even ask, "Was I sure," he just flashed me a half smile and went out to smoke. There were a couple cases of cigarettes here so that should last him a good while.

I just kept opening boxes to make sure we could use what was inside. The open container of chocolates was calling my name, but I kept working. I was opening the third carton of what looked like snake cakes when the door from inside the store flew open. Quickly, I turned to defend myself, but the man that came through it already had his gun up at me. All I had in my hand was my knife. The pistol I carried was strapped to my thigh.

"Don't move!" he demanded. "You do, and I take your head off!"

I was trying not to panic. Daryl would come and save me. He had to have heard the man threaten me. My heart was racing, and my hand holding the knife had started to sweat. I was trying to remain calm, but it was hard.

"Listen…" I started to say.

"You here alone?" he asked in a cold, steely voice.

"No, she ain't. Drop the gun, or you get a bolt through your head."

Immediately, my feeling of panicking started to subside. I had confidence in my abilities, but I was outnumbered as I saw two people had come into the storeroom and I was literally backed into a corner.

"Daryl, is that you?" a female voice asked.

I saw the male turn toward the open door. "Daryl?"

Wait, what was going on?

Daryl stepped into the doorway lowering his crossbow. The sun was still on his shocked face. He didn't say a word as the woman ran to him and threw her arms around him. I could hear her start to cry. Who the hell was she to him? I was about to take a step toward them when the man wrapped his arms around Daryl and the woman.

I certainly was feeling like the odd man out.

When they all stopped hugging, I noticed everyone was wiping tears away. Who were they? Could they be part of the group he thought he lost? That was so many months ago.

"Daryl, we thought you were dead," the man said.

"I thought everyone else was dead. I looked, and I couldn't find no one. Who else made it?" Daryl asked as he wiped his eyes. I wanted to go and hug him, but I didn't.

"Us, Carl, Judith, Maggie, Rosita, Aaron, and Carol."

"Nobody else?"

"Nope. Not until now. We thought you were lost too."

This was some of the people he had lost from Alexandria. I was happy for him, but at the same time, I felt forgotten. I took a step forward. "Daryl? What's going on?"

"Who's she?" the man asked abruptly. I wasn't happy with his tone.

The woman put a hand on the man's shoulder. "Why don't we move back into the store? It's very dark back here and store's clear. Then we can figure out what to do next."

"Good idea," he said.

I watched the two strangers head back into the store. I walked over to Daryl. "Are you okay?" He nodded that he was, but I wasn't sure about that. "Are they some of the people you thought you lost?"

"Yeah, Rick and Michonne."

I knew right then that my world was about to change. His 'family' was back, and I was already feeling like an outsider in the few minutes since they burst into the storeroom. I was happy for Daryl, but at the same time, our solitary world was coming to an end. The problem was I didn't want it to.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

 **Daryl**

I was outside having my first smoke in days. Damn, that felt so fuckin' good. Angel was so understanding about this even after I was such a dick to her. She's in there working, and I'm just outside enjoying my cigarette. That's not how I usually work, but I needed this. I really did.

The area was clear of walkers, so I was leaning against the brick building with my eyes closed enjoying the smoke, when I heard a crash from inside. I was about to ask Angel if she was okay when a guy's voice demand her to not move, or he'd blast her head off.

That's when I dropped the cigarette, picked up my crossbow that was next to me, and silently made my way to the doorway. They never heard me coming, until I threatened to put a bolt in him. I could see figures in the dark, but not faces since they were looking at Angel.

That's when everything changed.

Michonne recognized me before I did her or Rick. I didn't know what to say after she said my name and then did Rick. I was in shock as she pulled me into a hug with Rick joining in. They were my family. The family I was sure I had lost. Once I heard Michonne start to cry, I just lost it. Then Rick joined in. They were alive. That moment was so overwhelming I forgot all else except that I had found them. After all these months where I thought they had all died…Rick and Michonne were alive.

But did anyone else survive?

When I asked, Rick he told me his kids did along with Maggie, Rosita, Aaron, and Carol. That meant we had lost Tara, Father Gabriel, Morgan, Enid, and maybe Aaron's partner, Eric. I doubted any of the original Alexandrians survived.

I felt like I was in a fog. It was still unreal that they were standing in front of me. Then I heard Angel ask me what was going on. Even though I had come in to save her, I had completely forgotten about her. How could I have done that?

When Rick asked me who she was, there was a bit of an attitude in this voice. Since she was with me, he should trust that she's okay. I don't know what was up with that, but Angel sure picked up on it by the look she gave me.

At Michonne's suggestion, we headed inside the store. The storage room was quite dark making it weird to talk in.

"How did you know we were in the back room?" I asked as we all stood together.

"We had already cleared the store and heard the vehicles pass by and pull in out back. When you went into the back room we waited a few minutes before bursting in," Rick explained.

"Glad you didn't go in shooting."

"Me too," piped in Angel.

Rick looked at Angel and then me. "So, who is she?"

Really, Rick? Again?

"We hooked up a couple months back when she saved my ass. Been together ever since. This is Ang…I mean…Jessie. " I don't know why that got me an evil glare from her, but it did.

"Well I'm Michonne, and this is Rick. We've known Daryl a long time. So Daryl needed his ass saved again? I've been doing that for years. " she said with a cheeky grin.

Great, Michonne was making me look like shit in front of Angel. I knew she was teasing me, but still.

"Yeah, I found him stabbed and bleeding out in some old shack in the woods. I sewed him up and helped him get better. And as he said, we've been together ever since. It's hard to find people you can trust these days. Daryl's a good one."

"That he is," Michonne agreed touching my shoulder. "Sorry, about Rick here. He's usually nicer."

"And it's nice to meet you Michonne. Daryl's talked about you all. Very cool name by the way. I like it." It was good that the two girls were getting along. I had always trusted Michonne's judgment. Then Angel added, "Oh, and you too Rick."

Why did I get the feeling that Angel and Rick weren't going to get along?

Angel stepped closer to me, and I felt her hand try to grab for mine. I didn't know what to do. Rick and Michonne were here, and I was not a hand-holding type of guy. So instead I moved the crossbow from one hand to the other. I could tell she was glaring at me, but I had never done anything like this before.

"Where are you guys living now?" I asked. I had to say something because I couldn't take her looking at me that way.

"Hilltop. It was trashed by the Saviors, but we got it going again. It was the least damaged community," Rick explained. "We eventually found Jesus, too."

"Okay, I'm sure you three have a lot to catch up on, but shouldn't we pack up the supplies here first. We still all need to head to wherever we came from before dark." Angel's tone was not happy, but she was right. I had a lot of questions for them and they me, but the supplies had to come first.

"Jessie's right. We got the SUV to fill, how about you guys?" Maybe agreeing with her would help. Man, I sucked at knowing what the right thing to do was.

"Well," Michonne started to say. "We kind of lost our car. It broke down about a mile further down the road. We stopped in here to sees if we could fill up on supplies for the walk back when you guys drove by."

I needed a plan for all of us. Everything was happening too fast for them to leave. "How 'bout this. We'll fill up the SUV with whatever we can. You guys can follow us in it back to the house where we are living. It's about an hour or two away depending on what gets in our way. Jessie can ride behind me on my bike. It's a safe place to stay, and we can figure out everything there."

"What do you think?" Rick asked Michonne.

"It's the best option we have. Let's get working."

"Good idea," Angel agreed. "Let's do the storeroom first before hitting the store. Boxes are easier to pack."

We headed back into the smaller storage area, and Angel pointed at four cases that she said to bring to the car.

"What's in them?" Rick asked picking up one of the cases.

"Cigarettes."

"Shouldn't we be taking necessities first?" he challenged.

Angel turned and looked Rick right in the eye. "They are a necessity and one of the reasons we can back here. They're coming with us in our car whether you like it or not."

I had no idea why Angel and Rick were not getting along. They had only met a few minutes ago, but already they were pissing each other off. This was not looking good. Angel was so easy to get along with, but she was reacting to Rick being too hard on her. I looked at Michonne, and she simply shrugged her shoulders.

"You're a smoker, right?"

I didn't like the anger I saw in Angel's eyes. "No, Rick I'm not. They are for Daryl. He wants them, so they are coming back in 'our' car." I tried to say it was okay, but the look she gave me, shut me right up. "They are coming back with us. End of story." She shoved a case in my arms, and I headed to the car. It was getting too hot in there for me.

Rick showed up next to me and put his case in the back of the car. "You've been hanging with her all this time and not killed her?" he grumbled.

"Man, I don't know what's going on with you two, but that's not the girl I've been with. You gotta stop challenging her. She's really pretty easy going."

He didn't respond to me, so I turned from adjusting the boxes to look at him. Rick was smiling at me. "What?"

"Never thought I'd see this. You have it bad for her, don't you." Then I had to go and do something I never did in front of Rick… I blushed. I felt so stupid I had to look away from him right away.

"Does she know? She has to know," he asked me. I shook my head yes. "You're sleeping with her ain't you?" When I looked up from the ground to him, he laughed. "About damn time, man. Glad you got someone. You deserve it."

"Deserve what?" Michonne asked bringing out another box. "You two are taking too long. What's going on?"

Rick leaned over to Michonne and in a loud whisper said, "Daryl has a girlfriend." I threw daggers at him with my eyes, but he only laughed at me. Didn't guy code apply here?

"Ahh, now this is starting to make sense," Michonne said smiling at me. I felt like a damn embarrassed teenager with these two. "I like her, and I like that she stood up to Rick who is acting like an idiot today." I watched her turn to him. "Go get another box and apologize to her. Then let's get moving with this job. Okay, guys?"

"But…" Rick started to say.

"No. Go apologize." As weird as this whole situation was, I was getting a kick out of Rick's submission to Michonne. "And be nice." That earned her a glare from him, but he headed toward the dark storeroom.

I couldn't help the smirk I had on when I looked at Michonne. Rick didn't answer to anyone, except her. I sure got a kick out of that. But, he was being a dick to Angel, and I didn't understand why. He normally wasn't like that.

Michonne sat on the back edge of the open tailgate. There was no way I was going inside until either Rick or Jessie came out, or we heard gunfire. My money was on Jessie if that happened. I sat down next to Michonne.

"You happy?" she asked.

'Yeah. She gets me."

"Did she really find you the way she said?"

Michonne was always an easy person to talk to. She never judged. Rick was lucky to have her. "Yeah, I had been jumped by three guys one night. I got out of there alive, but barely. They didn't. I had been camping in the woods, so I started walking and losing blood. I woke up to her leaning over and talking to me. She had already stitched me up. Apparently, I had collapsed in this abandoned cabin in the middle of nowhere. I healed slowly cause I still had broken ribs and we got along. Both of us had been on our own for a while and we decided to stay together. It's hard to make it out here on your own, but after that night…I didn't want to be around anyone until I met her."

"She took care of a total stranger who could have died without help, right?"

"Yep."

Michonne's ebony face gave me one of her brilliant smiles. She was a beautiful woman. I never noticed that before. "Then she is pretty damn good in my book. I'm glad you have her, Daryl. You were always alone too much. We all need someone. As long as you are happy with her, then I am happy with you. I like her I really do."

I didn't know why Michonne's approval meant that much to me, but it did. I needed them to like and accept Angel. I wasn't going anywhere without her.

"Stop, biting your thumbnail, Daryl. You always do that when you are uncomfortable. Rick won't hurt Jessie," Michonne said softly with her hand on my knee.

"Well it's been a while, and nobody's come out. And I'm not worried about Jessie, it's Rick."

"Why you worried about me?" Rick said surprising the two of us. He held another box of cigarettes.

I got up and took the case from him. "Just didn't want Jessie to kill ya, didn't feel like burying your body in this heat."

Michonne laughed and went over to hug Rick. "Everything okay now?"

"Yeah, we're good," he told her with a smile. Then he turned to me. "Got yourself a good woman, Daryl. I like how she stood up to me about you. We talked, and we're good. I apologized for being a jackass."

I watched Michonne wipe the corner of Rick's mouth. "Is talk all you did? Why do I smell chocolate?"

"Alright, we bonded over a chocolate bar or two. Everything's good now, isn't that what you wanted?"

I watched Michonne take a deep breath, and I had no idea what was going on. Was she mad at him now? "Rick, is there more chocolate in there?"

"Yeah. A lot."

Michonne ran like a shot into the storeroom. What was it about women and chocolate? When I heard Angel call out my name, I knew it was time to get to work. We had a lot of packing to do before we headed back home. That's when it hit me that Jessie and I were going to have to leave our house. I was happy to have found my family again, but that meant changes to Angel and me. I wanted both worlds but didn't see how that could be possible.

 **Angel**

I'm hanging onto Daryl as he maneuvers around a small group of walkers on our way back to the house. I love being on his bike with him. I could hear the car behind us with his friends in it. It was packed to the gills with anything we could take from that store. It still surprises me that no one else ever emptied it out.

Today was one crazy day. My cheek was resting against his chest as I let the events of this morning replay in my head. We had made it back to the convenience store without too many problems, just a few long detours.

One minute I'm sorting through boxes, the next second a guy is threatening to blow my head off, and the next Daryl is hugging them all. I was clueless and invisible. I finally figured out that they were some of the people he had thought he lost. Then things got weird when I called Daryl's name, and the guy got an attitude. "Who is she," he asked. Really? If he trusted Daryl as much as he was supposed to, he shouldn't be even questioning who I am with that tone. And that's precisely what I told him, and he knew I was right. Rick and I made our peace and bonded over a couple of chocolate bars.

What I don't understand is Daryl. When he had to explain us, it sounded more like we were just partnered up and friends, rather than two people that shared a bed every night. We loved each other, so I was confused on why he didn't say I was his girl.

And what the fuck was up with that?

I don't know these people, and when I try to get a little reassurance from him, he blatantly refused me touching his hand. Didn't he realize that I needed support from him, especially when his friend was being such a dick to me?

Was he ashamed of me? I could see he was uncomfortable, but there wasn't time to take him aside and ask what the hell was going on. Alone in our bedroom, tonight would be time to talk. It was not going to be something I was going to bring up in front of his friends. I respected him too much for that.

My head kept running this shit through it until I realized we were slowing down as we approached our hidden driveway. He put his hand up to let Rick know we were stopping. I jumped off the back of the bike to move the Toyota out of the way, and he went to talk to Rick.

I got the car going the way Daryl had taught me and pulled it out. Then I watched them all drive down our overgrown lane. I backed the car in, leaving it very crooked on purpose and jogged until I got to the open gate. Daryl waited for me, before pressing the button to close us in.

Rick turned the SUV around and nosed it into the gate like we kept it. What I didn't understand was why he didn't park it by the steps so we could unload it better. The three of them headed toward the house as Rick and Michonne looked around. Why were we not unloading the car?

"How'd you guys find this place? Is it secure?" Rick asked.

"Jessie found it," Daryl said as he exhaled smoke from his cigarette.

I joined them standing in between Daryl and Michonne. "We needed supplies, and Daryl wasn't in any shape to come with me. I had been near this area before when I was on my own. I saw the edge of the drive that led into the trees, and I got curious. It was like this family here woke up, left for the day, and never returned. Nothing had been touched inside, and it had the SUV and the Harley in the garage. I knew when Daryl was better we had to come back here. That bike had his name written all over it."

Daryl laughed, "Ain't that the truth." Then he bumped me with his shoulder which surprised me.

Michonne's brown eyes got big. "Oh my God, he laughed. Daryl never laughs," she said in shock. "Jessie, whatever you have done to him, keep it up. He is always too serious."

"It's pretty simple, actually," I replied.

"What's your secret," Rick asked me.

I didn't even hesitate before saying, "Sex. We have lots and lots of sex."

Daryl groaned and turned away. Michonne and Rick burst out laughing. At one point I thought Rick was going to need CPR as he was laughing so hard he couldn't breathe. That's what Daryl gets for playing down our relationship. But, it was the truth. We do have lots of sex.

"Damn, if that's all it takes," Rick finally choked out. "I would have found you someone or something to fuck. You prefer human, right?"

"Fuck you, Grimes!" Daryl growled. "All you too for making fun of me. And you…" he said looking directly into my eyes. "Will pay later."

"Promise?" I asked batting my eyelashes at him. He just shook his head and walked into the house.

"No smoking inside," I called after him. He answered me with his middle finger.

"He loves me," I said flashing a smile at his friends. "C'mon in and relax, before we have to unload."

Rick put his arm around my shoulder as we headed inside. "I like how you handle him. It's exactly what he needs," he said as we walked up the stairs. "If you made him fall in love with you, then you two definitely got something special going on. Daryl would never get that close to anymore before."

I liked hearing I was special. But even better I loved hearing how Daryl never gave anyone else a second look. He was mine, and I had had no plans on letting him go. Rick opened the door, and I paused to thank him with a smile. He answered me with a kiss on my forehead. "Thanks for making him happy. My brother deserves it and you."

The earlier problems with Rick were completely forgotten. I liked this guy, and I could see how he only had Daryl's best interest at heart. So did I.

The three of us headed into the semi-dark living room since we always kept the curtains closed. I explained the food situation and the water. Michonne asked where we got the big water bottles from and I told them about the water truck we found.

There was no sign of Daryl downstairs, so I headed upstairs with Rick and Michonne. The door to mine and Daryl's bedroom was closed, So I thought he may be in there. I was wondering if he was really mad at me. I still had my backpack slung over one shoulder, and I dropped the straps down into my hand. "You guys can use that room over there," I said pointing to an open doorway. "I'll throw something together for dinner shortly. I'm going to check on Daryl."

As I was closing the bedroom door behind me, I heard Rick say something to Michonne about not having any kids around as he pushed her into the room. It gave me a chuckle.

Before I had a chance to wonder were Daryl was, he grabbed me by the arm and dragged me over to the bed. He was staring at me with that intense look he had perfected. "Daryl, what's going on?"

"Not a word from you. Got it?" I had never heard him use that forceful attitude with me before. I think I liked it. His voice did have the hottest gravelly tone to it anyway. This just took it up a dozen notches.

"Boots and pants off now."

There was no way I was going to argue with that, so I unlaced my boots and took off the right then the left. I kept my eyes glued to his as I undid my pants and kicked them off. Daryl didn't take his eyes off me once. I'm not even sure he blinked. He just stared at me with that look of his, and I couldn't tell if he was angry, turned on, or a combination of both. My vote was the last one, and that turned me on too. Hell, everything he did got me hot.

"Back on the bed," was his next command.

I scooted up the bed and lay down on my back. When he didn't move, I lifted up, so I was resting on elbows and forearms. Daryl was just staring at me, so I spread my legs for him to get a better look. "You going lose the pants?"

"Nope."

I knew he was rock hard for me. The huge bulge in his pants gave that away. I was surprised by his answer. I was sure he wanted a hard fuck. I did.

Finally, he climbed onto the bed and knelt between my legs. I watched him wet two fingers in his mouth causing my heart to start to race. He was going to fuck me with his hand. There was not a hint of him being gentle at all, but then again that wasn't me. I felt his left-hand part my folds which by now were dripping wet and then shove his two fingers from his right hand inside of me. I dropped down to the bed at the same time a cry erupted from my lips.

It hurt, but I liked it. No matter what, I knew he would never hurt me beyond what I could handle. I was getting lost in the finger fucking when I left something soft and wet on my clit. My eyes flashed open to see him tonguing me. Our eyes briefly met, before he turned his entire concentration to bringing me to a strong and almost violent orgasm.

I gave over the control of my body to his mouth. He didn't stop, but after the third climax had me screaming as I came, I had to beg him to stop. I couldn't just take anymore.

"Remind me to piss you off more often," I panted.

That finally got a chuckle out of him. "Didn't expect you to get that loud."

"I didn't expect to come that hard. Wow, I may need to stay here all night to get my strength back."

"What about Rick and Michonne?' he asked getting up off the bed.

I had completely forgotten about them. It had always been just the two of us, that having other people in the house vanished as I relaxed in my content afterglow. "Oh, God. Do you think they heard me?" I didn't just moan, I literally had screamed his name." This was going to be embarrassing.

"Unless they turned deaf in the last few minutes, they definitely heard you. I'm going to clean up." I watched Daryl head to the bathroom to wash his face. There was no way he was going to go downstairs smelling of me.

Just as I relaxed down on the bed to gather my energy, I heard applause outside our door. "Rick, stop that," I heard Michonne say as they both laughed their way down the stairs.

I covered my face with a pillow. How could I ever face them? When Daryl came out of the bathroom, I threw the pillow at him.

"What was that for?"

"Did you hear Rick?" Did you?" I had just met these people today and Daryl's payback for me embarrassing him worked too well. Maybe I could stay in here until they left?

"No, what happened?' he asked drying his face with a towel.

By now I was pulling on my pants. "He stood outside the door and clapped. He applauded my orgasm. How can I ever face them?"

Daryl just started laughing. I had tied my second boot, and he was still smiling at me. "You stared it, Angel. I just finished it and you. C'mon, I'm hungry."

We hit the top of the stairs, with Daryl going down first. "What, I wasn't enough for you?" I asked poking him in his back.

He stopped mid-step and turned to me. "That satisfies a whole different craving," he said with a wink before heading down the rest of the stairs.

It sure as hell did I thought to myself. The need I had for this man never waned, if anything it grew stronger every day. Even though I was looking forward to getting to know Rick and Michonne better, I couldn't wait until tomorrow when they would hopefully leave, and Daryl and I could get back to our lives.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

 **Daryl**

Angel was in the kitchen doing something with Michonne. Their laughter rang out throughout the house. I heard Angel say, "Oh my God, he didn't?" and figured they were talking about me. Michonne had plenty of stories to tell. Depending which one, I may have to get her back for it. Paybacks a bitch.

Rick and I were hanging out in the living room. The sun had gone down, so we had candles lit around the room so we could see. There was a question I had been dying to ask Rick for hours. "Hey, since you got to Hilltop have you had any trouble with the Negan?"

That prick had cost us everything. Too many people we had cared about were dead because of him. I had barely processed that Tara, Gabriel, and Morgan were really gone. I had always held out a small bit of hope that everyone had gotten out somehow. Enid was gone too, but I didn't know her all that well.

"Once we realized that all three communities had been attacked we wandered around for a while trying to figure out what to do. It was like back before we found the prison, spending each night in a different location. Jesus found us one day and I was thankful for that. He's a good guy and resourceful. He had a house with supplies he had been staying at and let us join him. Judith needed stability even if it was just a few days," Rick explained.

"Good thing you didn't let me put him up that tree," I finally admitted.

Rick laughed, "Yeah, good thing." Then he got more serious. "He and I went back to Alexandria one day. We wanted to see if there was anything at all left that we could use. You and I had hidden weapons and I didn't know if they were still there. We needed guns. All we had were knives and my hatchet. But a weird thing happened there." Rick stopped and looked at me.

"Jesus and I saw a black SUV sitting in the road outside the gates. A back passenger door was open. It didn't move for an hour nor did anyone in it. Finally, we threw a rock at it, hitting the roof. Nothing happened. So we made our way up to it and you know what was in there?"

He had me on the edge of my seat. "No. What?"

"Simon was in the driver's seat and Negan was next to him in the front passenger. Both shot dead execution-style in the head."

I saw Rick watching me as his words sunk in. Negan was dead along with his number one. I had wanted to have been the one to kill him. That goal got me through those lonely days after I thought I had lost everyone. A bolt would have been too easy. I spent hours trying to come up with slow, painful ways for him to die. Now a bullet in the brain had already taken care of it. He was dead. About fuckin' time.

"Any idea who did it?" I had my suspicions.

Rick reached into his pocket and pulled out a small intricately carved figure. "I found this on the console in between then both."

I took the figure from Rick. I had seen these before. "Dwight. He did it."

"Yep. He left the bodies for us to find so that we would know they were dead. Jesus and I buried them in shallow graves so none of the Saviors could find them. We used the SUV to haul back the weapons that we hid under the church floor. The building is gone, but we were able to move the debris to get to the stash. After, that we headed back to the Hilltop to start over."

The weight that Rick had carried was gone. Negan had been a thorn in our side since that dick had tried to take the gas truck from Sasha, Abraham, and me. That basically started the war between the Saviors and us. But it was finally over. The war with Negan was, but what about the rest of them?

"I can't believe he's finally dead. I dreamed of dozens of ways to kill that prick. A bullet seemed too easy."

Rick stretched out his legs in front of him. "Easy or not, it got the job done."

"Any problem with the rest of them?"

"No. Dwight's in charge now. He came by one day and we thought we were in for a fight, but that wasn't the case. He wants to trade with us when we get the gardens back up. He and I talked for a few minutes alone and he let me know we're safe. He's running the Saviors very differently than Negan was and it's working.

As much as I had hated that guy for everything he had put me through, he had shown his true colors at the end. We both had the same goal of taking out Negan, but that didn't mean he and I were ever gonna be buddies, Fuck, no.

"Good to hear they won't be a thorn in our ass."

"Does that mean you and Jessie are coming back with us to the Hilltop tomorrow?" Rick asked. Daryl could see the hope in Rick's eyes.

"Fuck, yeah. We're going with you." Safety in numbers. And they were his family. Of course, they were leaving with them.

"Where are we going?" Angel asked as she and Michonne joined us.

"To the Hilltop with Rick and Michonne." I was excited to see everyone again.

Angel looked at me oddly. "To visit so you could see your friends?"

I didn't know what she wasn't getting. "No, to live there. That's where everyone is now."

She turned toward me with fire blazing from her eyes. "So, you're making decisions for us now? I get no say in this at all? You expect me, to just follow you like a dutiful puppy? Me? What about us doing shit together like we said?"

I had no idea why she was so mad. "Angel…I mean Jessie."

"Stop right there. What's with calling me Jessie all of a sudden?"

"That's your name, ain't it?" Now she was just being ornery.

"It is for them," she said flicking her hand at a surprised looking Michonne and Rick. "You don't call me that. You call me Angel. Which you haven't done once when they are around. Are you embarrassed by the nickname you gave me? Huh, are you?"

"Yes…I mean no. That's for when it's just you and me. It's kinda…" I was at a loss for what to call it.

"Special," Michonne blurted out.

"Yeah, it's special for just us." That sounded corny but it was pretty much the truth. I wasn't used to this boyfriend-girlfriend stuff. Angel sounded romantic like and that wasn't me. I called her Angel for other reasons.

"You give my kid…my daughter the name Lil' Ass Kicker and she gets Angel?"

"Shut up, Rick!" Angel and I both yelled at the same time.

Michonne stood up and held out her hand to Rick. "That is our cue to go to bed. They need to talk. C'mon, remember no kids around and we can be as noisy as we like."

Neither Angel nor I said a word as we watched them head upstairs. I heard Michonne say, "Think you can get me to scream that way?"

"I sure as hell am gonna try," came from Rick. Then they ran up the stairs slamming their bedroom door behind them.

I looked back at Angel. Her expression hadn't changed at all. She was still as mad as a wet settin' hen. "What are you pissed about?"

"Did you not hear a single thing I said? You can't make decisions that affect both of us. We have to do that together. I don't want to go to this Hilltop, I want to stay here."

Why did she want to stay here? Sure we were okay for now, but that wasn't going to last. Hilltop was definitely much safer. I needed to find out what was going on with her, but I think I had to apologize first. "Okay, I was wrong to assume you would want to go without talking to you. You know when it comes to relationships, I'm new at this. I'm gonna fuck up, right?"

"Definitely."

She didn't have to agree like that, did she? "So why don't you want to go there?"

Angel looked at me, before looking down at the floor. It wasn't like her to be nervous. I could tell most of the anger had faded. "Why Angel?"

"Because it won't be just us anymore. We do what we want when we want and answer to us. When we're in a group, things change. You'll change when you are back with everyone. You already have." I saw a tear escaping the corner of her beautiful eyes. I wiped it away with my thumb. She was afraid of losing me. Didn't she know that would never happen?

"Look me." When she raised her angel eyes to me, my heart tightened up knowing I caused her to question us. "Listen, I like it here with you too. For all the same reasons and more. It's like it's our place, our house, right?" She nodded that she agreed. "I could never have given you anything like this before. It's the fanciest house I ever lived in. And I like that we can fuck whenever we want and not worry about others. Right?" That got an even better head nod from her. "But I've always worried that this wouldn't last." When her eyes quickly met mine I knew I was saying this wrong.

"Not us, stupid. I ain't letting you go anywhere. This house and the false security it gives us. Someday, someone will find us. I'm afraid of the living more than the dead. And we are gonna have to run again. I'm tired of running, Angel. All I want is you and a safe place to sleep at night. The Hilltop will give us a better shot at that. Will you give it a chance?"

She was quiet for a little bit as she thought about what I had said. "On one condition."

"What's that?"

"We talk things out like we just did. I never knew you were afraid of people finding us. I wasn't even thinking about that too much as I knew I had you. Together we can do anything."

I pulled her into a hug and held her tightly. I loved this woman more than I had ever thought possible. If those assholes hadn't stabbed me and fucked everything up, I never would have found Angel. If she had really wanted to stay, I would have. My life and heart belonged with her.

"Daryl, we're leaving tomorrow, right?"

"It's a better place for us, so as long as you agree, yes. We leave tomorrow."

Angel pulled back from the hug. I knew immediately what she was thinking, but I wanted to hear it from her. "Then fuck me one more time on this sofa." Damn, I loved it when she talked like that.

I didn't care that Rick and Michonne were upstairs. The bed in their room was already making loud creaking noises so they were busy themselves. "Get those clothes off. Now."

With a squeal, she jumped up and started to undress. I decided to take care of my boots first. They were always a pain in the ass to get off quick, but once I got rid of them, everything else came off easily. Even the underwear she insisted I wear now. I had nothing against wearing it, just didn't have any. Now I did. Just not right now as I was sitting bare-assed on the sofa staring at my girl's rack. It was still hard to believe that I get to look at her, touch her, and do anything to her and she wants that. I get to go to sleep with her. Then wake up with her and fuck her whenever I want. Like right now.

She takes a step toward me. "Wait," I tell her. "Take your hair down." It's pulled back as it usually is when we go out. I need it down. I watch her take a hold of her long braid and pull it in front of her. The tie goes on her wrist and her fingers help it come apart until it's surrounding her like a black silk cloud. Yeah, I get stupidly poetic about her hair.

Once it's down, Angel crawls onto my lap so my dick is nestled between her legs, but I'm not inside of her…yet. Immediately, she's sliding up and down my length getting me slick and ready to slide into her. I didn't even have to touch her to feel how wet she was. Then she did something she had never done before and took one of my nipples in her mouth. I didn't expect to be as turned on by that as I was. After she bit me the way I do her, she sat up reaching between us. Her fingers grabbed onto my dick and guided it into her.

There was nothing better than being inside of her. Hell, no. I felt her internal muscles tightening on me several times before she even started moving. I had been staring at where we were joined to eventually look up at her. God damn, she was beautiful.

Her long, black hair fell over her over her breasts, and one perfect nipple slipped through to tease me. Her eyes had turned a dark amethyst, while her skin was rosy and damp. Angel started moving her body and I let her set the pace. I simply stared into her incredible eyes while she rode me with long fluid movements of her hips.

It was a slow build up for us, but I didn't mind. I could do this all night with her. She now had her head tilted back with her eyes closed as she tried to push me deeper inside of her. I took a nipple between my thumb and forefinger and rolled a few times before giving it a good tweak.

"Do that again," she sighed. "Harder."

So I did.

After a loud moan came from her, she got up and said, "Be right back!" I watched her run naked upstairs and heard the floor in out room creak as she walked across it. She as back downstairs seconds later. "Here."

I took what she was handing me and wondering why she had to go upstairs for it. It was a half-empty tube of lube. I looked up from it to her and she was smiling. "I found it this morning in the back of a drawer."

Oh hell, she wanted me to fuck her ass again. We had done it a few times since that first time and I loved doing it. I always had to be careful, but this would take it up a notch. She wanted me to fuck her ass with Rick and Michonne upstairs. Briefly, I thought she was crazy, but the ideas excited me too. I had heard enough of our group having sex over the years we had been together. Finally, it was my turn and I was getting her sweet ass too.

I squeezed some of the lube into my hand and started rubbing it on my very hard dick. "How you wanna do this?"

"You just stay right there."

Angel turned so her beautiful rounded bottom was facing me. Then she knelt backward on the sofa hovering over my lap. "In my pussy first, then you can aim for the ass. Okay?"

"Whatever you say." Which got a laugh out of her.

"I'll remember that."

I answered her by holding my dick with one hand and pushing her down onto it. I slid inside her easily. Angel bounced up and down on me a few times, before she stopped. A little bit more lube and we were ready. I already knew to go slow until her body adjusted.

We had never done this position before but I found it easy to get inside of her at this angle. I pushed the head in and didn't move until she was ready. Angel could control how deep I got by how much she was moving up and down on me. Usually, it was a bit slow to get all the way in, but this time with the extra help we had, she had me completely in her pretty damn quick. We sat that way for a moment without moving. I loved being that deep inside of her.

Then I reached around her and pinched her nipples again.

"Both, do both…even harder." My girl knew what she liked and didn't hesitate to tell me.

This time she groaned, but it still wasn't enough. "Keep pinching them…please. Oh God, like that. Daryl, don't let go."

Now I started moving my hips to meet hers. I was ready to come while holding onto her goddamn nipples. She was always surprising me with what she wanted. And I always gave it to her. Taking care of her, always moved me closer to coming. Sex was so different with her. It was so much better when I wasn't just getting off, but I knew that any of the white trash I had been with would never have felt like this. No fuckin' way.

I could feel everything building up in my balls. I was coming soon and coming hard. There was no way I could hold back and I didn't want to.

"Gonna come," I moaned. Just when I was about to, I gave her nipples once last painful pinch before moving my hands to her hips to keep her slamming down on me. I let out a loud groan as I poured myself into her. Angel, in turn, was bucking on top of me lost in her own climax.

She was still shaking when I stood up holding her in my arms still inside of her. I turned so I could put her down on the couch. When I did that, I slipped out of her, but that was fine. My body wasn't ready to come again, but hers was.

I pushed her legs apart and immediately my tongue found her hard nub. A non-stop stream of "Oh Gods," was flowing from her perfect lips. My mouth brought her to two more orgasms and one very long scream before I finally stopped. I could tell she had enough and that didn't happen often. Angel could fuck longer than anyone I ever knew.

I collapsed on the sofa next to her. The only way I knew that she was alive was the rapid movement of her chest as she tried to catch her breath. Other than that, she didn't even twitch. Eventually, I stood up and lifted Angel into my arms. Her head was resting against my shoulder. I carried her upstairs to our room and laid her down on the bed. It was our last night here. I quietly closed the door before slipping in next to Angel and cradling her in my arms.

"I love you, Daryl," she murmured. "Don't ever leave me."

"Never," I vowed to her.

"Promise?"

"Promise. Love you too, my Angel." I felt her body relax as she drifted off. That was one promise I was determined to keep. Losing her would destroy me. I loved her that much.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

 **Angel**

It's funny how much life can change in twenty-four hours. I'm sitting on the front steps of our house with the Virginia sun beating down on me as I watch what little belongings I have being strapped to the top of the SUV. Next to me, I have a backpack with a few necessities for Daryl and I in case we get separated from Rick and Michonne. Yesterday, we had planned on staying here forever, today we're moving out.

Yes, Daryl found his friends. Actually, they consider themselves family. The ones that he thought had died at the hands of the Saviors were indeed alive. Not all made it, but it seems the ones most important to him did. I'm happy for him, I really am. But that means that we are leaving this house that I loved living in to move to a new place with new people, and it won't be just us anymore.

Initially, I hated his friends. Rick was an ass and Michonne was just too damn gorgeous. She has an elegance about her that completely contradicts with the dreadlocks. Rick was simply being a dick to me. I'm not sure why. He did say that he doesn't trust new people, but he should have trusted Daryl. Somehow I think it's more than that, but I'm not sure. Either way, we're okay now.

I just wish we didn't have to leave. I understand why Daryl wants to. He's right that this place does give us a false sense of security, but I was hoping that would last forever. I like it just him and me. It works. We work.

He's not wrong about the Hilltop. Early this morning when we were just lying in bed, I had him tell me everything he knew about the place. I liked the high walls, and the idea of fresh vegetables is really awesome, but there would be so many more people there. People he knew and that liked him, but would they like me?

"We're almost done," Daryl called out. "Last chance if you want to bring anything else."

"Where would we fit it?"

"No idea," he said as he tightened the last rope. "Make one last sweep, okay?"

I signaled to him that I would and headed back inside. The SUV was already stuffed with the supplies from the store we scavenged. On top of the vehicle is where we had everything else. I packed every piece of clothing I thought someone could use. Every toiletry, candle and food items we had collected came too. No matter what, we were going to need it, and if not us, someone else could.

It only took me a few minutes to know there was nothing left to take. The only thing I had left here were the memories that Daryl and I created. Yeah, I'm getting sappy. He told me he loved me here. Daryl's never loved anyone but me, so that was so incredibly special to me. We could also be ourselves here. Now everything was changing.

I stood in the middle of our bedroom sad that I would never wake up in his arms here again. We were moving on to a new place, but that didn't mean I really wanted to. I had to because it was the right thing to do, but I wasn't looking forward to it.

Suddenly I felt his strong arms wrap around me. That wasn't something that Daryl did often, but I think he sensed my sadness.

"You okay?"

I turned in his arms and brushed his long bangs out of his eyes so I could look into those beautiful blue eyes of his. "As long as I'm with you, I'll be okay."

"How the hell did I get so damn lucky?" he murmured into my hair. "Almost dying, was the best thing that happened to me."

"I'm glad I didn't let you die that day."

I felt him chuckle. 'Yeah, me too." Daryl kissed the top of my head, before asking me if I was ready to go.

I had to be. It was time to move on. "How long do you and Rick think it will take to get there?"

"Well," he started to say as we left the bedroom and headed for the stairs. "We used the map you found and figured about four hours, but we'll see what we encounter. Could be less or could be more."

"Are we filled up on gas?" Finding fuel was becoming harder and harder, but without it, the vehicles would be worthless. Someday it would be all gone.

"Yeah, this morning we siphoned the last of it from the water truck. Lucky that had a big tank."

There was no reason to delay anymore. It was time to go. As strong as I liked to think I am, I was very nervous about this change. Would these people that meant so much to him like me, or would they hate me like Rick had?

I had lived so many years since the world had changed on my own. My entire existence fits into the pack on my back. Now I had Daryl that changed everything for me. I no longer lived just for me, but for us. That's why I was following him to the Hilltop.

"Then, let's go. It's time for a new adventure." I was trying to be positive. I really was.

Daryl put a finger under my chin and lifted my face until I looked at him. "Thank you." He kissed me in a long, slow kiss that was uncharacteristic of him. Just when I think I had him figured out, he'd goes and surprises me. We do hot, crazy hard really well, but this was what I needed. And he knew that.

He broke the kiss, ruining the perfect moment by licking my nose. All I could do was laugh at him as we headed outside to where Rick and Michonne were waiting. It took seconds for us to ride out of the gate and after I hid the remote for it one more time, we were off. I hope the Hilltop was ready for Daryl and his once in a lifetime girlfriend.

Now it was hours later, and I had been riding behind Daryl all day. My butt was sore, and I couldn't wait to get off of this thing. We were now following Rick and Michonne down a very bumpy dirt road that was not making things any better. I had my cheek pressed against his back because the dust flying up from the car in front was making it hard to breathe. Daryl was coughing in front of me.

Then we stopped for the first time in hours. I raised my head and saw a high wall made of telephone poles. It reminded me of the old fashion forts out west back in the 1800's. I expected John Wayne to come riding out any minute.

Rick let the guards know that it was him and Michonne coming back and the gates swung open. We followed the car inside. I got off the bike first, and then Daryl did. He shook the dust out of his hair, and I brushed off his clothes. He was a dirty mess.

As people came out to meet the group, I heard someone exclaim, "Oh my God, that's Daryl!" Word started to spread, and I watched people running toward us. Soon he was being hugged by pretty and very pregnant brunette and then another woman who looked Hispanic. A teenage boy with a toddler went to Rick and Michonne first, before Daryl pulled him into his own hug. I thought that maybe Rick's son. Several men shook hands with him, and it seemed they were all very excited to have him back.

That's when I saw a woman with short gray hair came running from the big brick mansion that I barely had time to acknowledge calling Daryl's name. Tears were streaming down her face as she threw herself into his arms. Okay, who was she?

"Oh my God, you're alive," she was saying over and over again. She kissed him on his dirty cheek and not on the lips, so that had me relaxing just a little. "Where have you been? Why didn't you come back?" she demanded him.

"Give me a minute to breathe, Carol," he told the woman. I could hear the emotion in his voice. These people met a lot to him.

"Everyone, why don't we give Daryl and Jessie a chance to settle in? It's been a long day. At dinner, we can tell you everything, okay?" Rick suggested.

That's when everyone finally noticed me standing by myself. Daryl had been pulled into the small crowd, but now he stepped out and actually took my hand bringing me to the group. He didn't release it like I thought he would. "Jessie, this is Maggie, Rosita, Carl's got Lil Asskicker…"

"Daryl, she does have a name," Michonne laughed.

"Whatever. Carl's got Judith," he said pretending to be annoyed, but I could tell he wasn't. "This here is Aaron and Jesus. You can see why we call him that," he said pointing at a man that certainly did resemble Jesus. "And that's Carol. Ah…everyone this is Jessie. She's with me."

I saw a dozen eyes look from him to me to him again. Yeah, I was a surprise. The brunette stepped forward and introduced herself as Maggie. "It's nice to meet you, Jessie. Do you and Daryl want a room in the mansion or a trailer? This way you can settle in."

"Daryl, what do you want?" I deferred to him as he would know what would work best for us.

"A trailer, Angel. But we need to get our shit from the car too."

"Why don't you take number ten? It's still in pretty good shape. We can help you move anything you have there. Is everything in the car yours?" Maggie asked.

I laughed. "Oh God, no. Some of the stuff on top is and a few boxes inside. The rest is clothes I thought people could use, assorted other items we collected, and the supplies we all found at a convenience store. That's where we met Rick and Michonne."

"Well I can't wait to hear that story," she said with a genuine smile. I instantly knew I was going to like her. "Let's get the car unpacked, okay?"

Maggie headed back to what could only be called an old southern mansion. Daryl said it had a name, but he couldn't remember what it was. It was three stories high and made of brick that could withstand a herd as long as the windows held. And there were a lot of those. I bet the rooms were nice in there, but I liked the ideas of our own trailer. It would give us more privacy.

"Okay, let's start pulling stuff out of here," Rick said as he opened the back of the SUV. Aaron, you and Daryl, can start untying the stuff on top. Show everything to Jessie, and she'll tell you whether it's theirs or it's communal. If you don't you'll piss her off, and you don't want to, trust me." I looked at Rick raising my eyebrows at him, and all he did was laugh and give me a wink.

Yeah, he knew not to piss me off anymore.

It didn't take long for everything to be unloaded and delivered to the right places. Already people were looking through the clothes I had brought from the house and taking what they wanted. I was happy I had thought to do that.

I had yet to step foot into the trailer to see what our new home was going to be like. "C'mon, let's go see what I got us into," Daryl said as he put his arm around my shoulders. How could I be mad at him for making us come here when he as being so supportive? For a man that wouldn't touch my hand in front of two of his closest friends yesterday, we were walking with his arm around me, and I knew everyone was looking at us.

He let me step up into the trailer first. It was pretty basic. A Bed, a very old, slightly ripped couch, a small round table with two chairs and tiny storage area with a counter. Home sweet home. I just stood there looking around not saying a word.

"I'm sorry," he said closing the door.

"Why?"

Daryl then wrapped his arms around me from behind. "This sure is a downgrade from the house."

It certainly was, but I didn't want him to feel bad about it. It was my decision too that brought us here. Better and higher walls and more people to help us protect each other. I had to keep thinking of the positives.

"It looks like we are back to sleeping in a small bed again. It'll bring back memories of that old shack." We had started with a bed no bigger than a small cot, to a king size bed in the house, and now we had a twin to share.

I twisted in his arms and popped a quick kiss on his lips, before starting to unpack our stuff.

Daryl started to go through our stuff to give me a hand. "Yeah, I remember those nights. Right from the beginning, you wanted in my pants."

"Oh really?" I laughed. "I just wanted up off that hard, dirty floor. I would have slept next to anyone not to have to have done that again." I was loading our clothes into a small cabinet.

I looked over and saw Daryl unpacking the non-necessities and rolled my eyes. We had plenty of other things to unpack then a box that held his cigarettes. "Well, I seem to recall you not exactly sleeping next to me, it was more on top of me."

"Oh good lord, Daryl. That bed was smaller than this twin, and you had to be flat on your back, where did you expect me to sleep? And from what I felt each night under me, you were enjoying it. Admit it, right?"

I was glad I packed the plastic bucket we had used at the house for toting water. It was a good place to keep toiletries in. I had no ideas where the showers or bathrooms were, but I knew the trailers didn't come with them so we would need to bring this stuff with us. All the while we're unpacking, he's teasing me about the old shack. It was fun.

"How could I not get a boner with you? If it wasn't your hip rubbin' up against my dick, it was your thigh. I swear you were doing that on purpose all night long."

"So you are accusing me of teasing you while I was sound asleep? Do you know how ridiculous that is?" I know I never did that when I was sleeping, or at least I was pretty sure I didn't. However, when I was awake I sure as hell did. It felt pretty big to me, so I'd shift around a bit to bring it to life. I wanted him long before we finally got around to doing it.

"You always wanted this, admit it, Angel." I watched Daryl grab his crotch so there would be no misunderstanding on what he meant. By the size of the bulge he was holding, our conversation had him hard and horny. Just the way I liked him.

We could unpack anytime.

I walked over to him and put my hands on the waistband of his pants. "Once I realized that I wouldn't have to kill you and you stopped being a jerk…" Pop went the button and down went the zipper. "Yeah, I wanted to see how big that thing was. And when I did…" By now I had his pants around his ankles, and I was holding onto his cock. His very hard and thick cock. "I wanted it badly in two places."

"Where's that?" he asked. The huskiness of his normal voice dropped down even deeper.

I was stroking him with my hand as I smiled up at him, before getting down on my knees. "I wanted it in my mouth first…" I didn't finish that thought as I took him deep into my mouth right away. We did this so much that it had gotten easy for me to relax my throat and take him all the way in.

"Oh fuck," he moaned. "How the fuck do you do that?"

After deep throating him several times, I swirled my tongue around the tip. "Practice. You know I do this as often as possible and also because I love the feeling of you deep in my throat." And I took him all the way in again. This time he put his hand I on my hand and held it still as he moved his dick in and out. He was forceful, but I got off on it. I loved him fucking my mouth. Without even touching myself, I knew my panties were already soaking wet for him.

"What else? You said two places?"

I had to wait for him to release me so I could answer him. No way to talk with his nineinches down my throat. My hand kept stroking him as I caught my breath. Now I moved my attention to sucking on his balls. "The second place that I wanted you…"

"You are the goddamn queen of blowjobs," Daryl groaned loudly. "Where? Fuckin', tell me where!"

"I wanted you buried so deep inside of me that it hurts."

It was a good thing I didn't have him in my mouth anymore as he yanked me to my feet. Suddenly I was lifted into his arms, and he shuffled his way to the bed. His pants were still around his ankles, so we were lucky we didn't end up in one big heap on the floor. l took my boots off then my pants, while he did the same. We didn't take our shirts off, we were too desperate for each other.

I moved up on the bed and Daryl was between my legs immediately. For a man that lived for years without sex, he was now addicted to it. I had always had a high sex drive, and Daryl matched me perfectly. Basically, we wanted each other nonstop.

My knees were raised giving Daryl the access he needed. I felt him reach between us and guide the tip of his dick to my opening. Then he thrust inside me completely. I cried out as he bottomed out against my cervix. It hurt so good.

"Is that where you wanted me?"

I was whimpering as he pulled out of me and slammed back in over and over again. "Oh God, yes. As hard as you can Daryl." Then I was crying out over and over again until I felt the ball of energy inside me burst into a million different explosions. I knew I was loud, but I couldn't help it. He did this to me all the time. No one ever made me come as hard and as often as Daryl did. He would exhaust me, but I loved every second of it.

This was the first time we had sex today. Usually, we had done it a couple times already. The good thing about the house was that we could fuck inside or outside and no one was around to give a shit. Now we were limited to inside the trailer, but we had just both come strong. Even though Daryl was still in me as he laid on top of me as he tried to catch his breath, I could feel his cum seeping out of me.

"Babe, I'm making a mess on the bed. I need to get up." All he did was roll off me so I could get out of the bed to clean up. I saw a roll of toilet paper sticking out of my pack, so I grabbed that and wiped myself clean.

I turned toward him seeing that sexy grin he always saved for me. "Did take us long to christen the trailer," he laughed.

"I doubt we lasted fifteen minutes before I had you in my mouth."

"Can I ask you sumthin'?"

I went and sat on the edge of the bed. We were both still naked from the waist down. "Sure. What is it?"

"We do this a lot, but I didn't think girls…like it like guys do. Are you okay with…us?" Daryl looked at me, but then over at the wall. He was nervous, and that was so cute.

I handed him his pants and had mine in my other hand. "Have I ever said no to you?" He shook his head no. "Do I start stuff just as much if not more than you do?" That got a smile out of him. "So yeah, I am very okay with us being sex fiends."

I heard him chuckle as he fastened his pants. "But one thing. We may need to keep it down some, these are thin walls, and you like to get loud. Real loud."

"Oops! You're right about that, but it will make all these women wonder what they've been missing with you. Right?"

"Stop." Was he blushing? "Gonna go find out about eating and shit. I'll be back."

"You better be," I called out as he opened the door. "I don't even know where the bathroom is."

"Ask," he said as he closed the door.

I threw the door the bird as it clicked shut. Once again I sat down on the bed and looked around. It wasn't much, but it was ours, and it was safe. Those strong high walls I saw coming in were much better than the fence we had around the house. Looking around the room, I saw our packs and the boxes that still needed to get unpacked.

Typical guy leaves when there is work to be done. So that's what I did for the next hour, I tried my best to make this slightly busted up trailer into a home. Our home. But I just didn't know if I could ever feel at home here. Time would tell.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

 **Daryl**

I was back. Everyone was back, well mostly everyone. It brought me to a very dark place for a long time thinking everyone was dead. There was always a slim sliver of hope that I was wrong, but I saw no signs that I was. And I was fuckin' wrong. Thank God for that. We had lost a few, but my core group was okay. I'd miss Tara and her weird off-beat sense of humor. Father G and I were never close, but I respected the fact that he had become a man of action and he had stopped using God as his defense. A bullet worked better on a walker than praying to a nobody that never did shit for me.

Morgan and I never saw eye to eye. I never understood why he wouldn't go to Ezekiel to try to convince the Kingdom to join us against Negan. His all life is precious crap annoyed the shit outta me. Sure he changed at the end, but he and I were never gonna be buddies. He was still a loss to the group.

Enid was the one person I knew the least. What did I have in common with a teenage girl? Nuthin'. I know she was close to Maggie and I think she and Carl had sumthin' going on, but I ain't sure. She seemed like a nice enough kid. Too bad.

All in all, I'm in a good place. Never thought I'd get here again. It felt good, but it was also weird. I was different, not Rick, or Maggie or Carol, but me. I wasn't sure how to act around them anymore. Daryl the loner, the lone wolf who did things when he wanted was pretty much gone. But that's how they knew me. Now it was me and Angel, and I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world, but how was I supposed to act around these people with her?

I guess I'll try to be as normal as I could and see if that pisses Angel off. Our behavior at the house couldn't be the same here. I'd miss being able to take her whenever and wherever I wanted, but it was the price to pay to be back here with people I trusted. And that's why I was looking for Rick. He was the one person beside Angel that I trusted the most.

What was the plan? What needed to be done? I had to get back into the day to day activities.

I stood in the middle of the yard. There was definitely fewer people around that before the attack. The blacksmith hut was dark and unused. There were only a few people that I didn't know compared to when I was here after I escaped from the Saviors. I walked over to the gardens and saw that they were empty. Only small green shoots were poking up from the dirt. The fresh vegetables I promised Angel weren't happening.

"Hey," I heard from behind me. Turning I saw Rick approaching.

"Hey. Where's the food?"

Rick shook his head. "The Saviors ruined it all. We gotta start from scratch again."

"Assholes," I muttered. We all needed food, so fuckin' this up didn't make any sense.

"You and Jessie seemed to have settled in okay." I turned my head, and Rick had the smirk on him that I was hoping not to see. Damn. "You two seem to get along really well."

"Fuck, man. I knew she was being too loud. Tell me you were the only one to hear us?" I was so embarrassed. This could be way worse than him and Michonne hearing us at the house.

The smile on his face told me I was never going to live this down. "How bad?"

By now we had walked up to the mansion, and I swear he was laughing the whole time. "Bad. Put it to you this way, Michonne's already wondering what you got going on that I don't. They all are."

"They?"

"The women, bro."

I was so fucked. How could I face these people again? Especially the ones I knew. I may have to gag Angel if she can't stop being so damn loud. If I acted embarrassed by this, I'd never live it down, so I was hoping to pull off the exact opposite. "Yeah, well….what can I say. When ya got it…"

Rick punched me in my shoulder, not hard enough to do any damage, but enough that it knocked me off balance. "What was that for?"

"You are so full of it," he laughed. He was right, I sure as hell was.

We both sat down on the steps. "How did you guys get out, man? You never got to tell me." Time to get off the topic of me and my sex life.

"A miracle…that's how. The houses were on fire and we were fighting the Saviors, but there were just too many. Michonne was near me, and we both knew it was a losing battle. When she flashed me a "we-need-to-get-the-hell-out-of-here" look, we took care of the guys we were fighting and went to where Carl was hiding in the trees by the graveyard with Judith. We couldn't go out the front, so just as we were about to go over the wall when Maggie ran by with Aaron and called out to us. Apparently, they knew another way out." Rick stretched out his legs leaning back on his elbows. I could tell he didn't like telling the story, but he knew I had to hear it.

I lit a cigarette as he continued. "We were headed towards the field on the far side of the community. Together we took out anything that came at us. There were people and walkers all over the damn place. I saw Rosita and Carol fighting three guys, so we helped them take the fuckers out and then made them come with us. Apparently, there's an old sewer grate in the field. I never knew it was there, but Aaron and Maggie did. It led down to tunnels that took us under the wall. We stayed in that dark, dank disgusting smelling tunnel for two days waiting for the Saviors to leave. There was baby food in the diaper bag Carl grabbed, so we were able to keep Judith quiet. After that, we just walked away from everything. Eventually, we ended up back here when we knew Negan was gone."

"That prick fucked up our lives. It's like starting over," I said to Rick. "Woulda loved to have been the one to have taken him out."

"Me too," Rick agreed. "But he's gone, and that's the most important thing." Rick then turned to me. "You gonna be able to work with Dwight?"

I hated that rat bastard. What he had put me through at the Saviors compound was unforgivable. Rick knew the details, but no one else did, not even Angel and I told her everything. I wasn't hiding it from her, it was just something I didn't want to remember. I didn't care that at the end he was trying to work with us to take out Negan, he still was an asshole I wanted dead.

"Maybe." Was the only answer I could give him. "Why didn't he warn us of the raid that night? We all coulda been ready for them."

"Said he had no idea that Negan was planning that. It came out of nowhere to everyone, but he could tell that Negan had it in the works for a little while. He knew exactly what he wanted to be done. If he didn't tell his lieutenants, makes me wonder if he thought he had a mole," Rick said.

"Could be. He was a smart motherfucker."

It was quiet for a few minutes as we sat on the steps just staring off. The only thing that would have made this day better was if we were all still in Alexandria. I would have liked to have brought Angel back there. We could have gotten our own house instead of me still sharing with the others. That was just wishful thinking since everything in Alexandria was a pile of ashes.

"You running things again?"

"Nope. Hilltop is Maggie's. We talk things out, and I run shit by her, but this is hers. She's turned into a good leader. Hey, it's getting close to dinner. We eat in the big house. Bring Jessie up so everyone can get to know her." Rick stood up and stretched.

I flicked the cigarette butt into the dirt and got up to head back to Angel.

"Hey, I'm going on a run tomorrow, you wanna come? Be like the old days." It depended on which old days he as talking about. Initially, we hated each other guts, but now he was a brother to me. Except, when we did runs together, it sometimes ended up being a comedy show with us. And that sure wasn't on purpose.

What the hell. "Yeah, I'll go with ya. Someone gotta keep ya outta trouble."

"If that's the case, we'd have to bring Michonne with us. See ya at dinner." He headed into the mansion, and I turned to go back to Angel. As I was walking back to the trailer, I realized that me going off with Rick tomorrow was going to be the first time I did something without her. I hoped she wasn't going to be pissed. I loved her, but I needed this time with Rick.

 **Angel**

I had unpacked everything a while ago, but Daryl had yet to come back. I could have gone outside and explored, but I was a little bit afraid. Having these people that Daryl considered family accept me was important to me. It wasn't often I was unsure of myself, but I was now. So instead of going out like I should have, I just sat here waiting for Daryl to return.

Stupid things ran through my head like what if now that he was back with everyone, he decided he didn't need me anymore. "Stop thinking that way Jessie," I said to the empty room. "He loves you, just remember that he loves you differently than he loves them. Trust him, you gotta trust him."

"Trust who?"

There was that husky, gravelly voice that I loved so much. "Trust you, of course, to know that this place is what we need," I lied. I didn't want him to know I was questioning his love for me. That was just stupid insecure ramblings. Nothing more.

I got up and went into his arms. "You know I only wanna do what's best for us, right?"

"I do," I smiled up at him. He leaned down and kissed me, but started to laugh. "What?"

"You've been hitting the chocolate."

"Of course I have, I'm hungry. We have food, but not a way to cook it. So how are we going to eat Mr. Dixon?" A loud rumble of my stomach accented my words.

"C'mon up to the house. Dinner's gonna be there. I was just coming back to get ya. Thought you'd be exploring outside," he said opening the door for me.

I stepped down into the dirt, and he followed behind me. "I…was waiting for you."

He didn't answer me right away, but we kept walking towards the big brick house. It seemed even more imposing the closer we got. "Sorry. I got talking to Rick. Let's go eat, and then I'll show ya around, Ain't much, but you gotta feel comfortable here. Okay?"

"I will just give me time." We stood at the front door of the mansion. I turned and saw it gave me a good view of everything inside the walls. There were about a dozen trailers. One or two had a lot of damage to them, others not so much. There were a few open huts that I had no idea what they were for. I saw the gardens, but from here they looked empty and bare. Then there were fields off to the right. Daryl had mentioned they used to have livestock here and I imagine that's where they were kept.

He took my hand, and we walked into the building. The entry foyer was big and imposing but bare of any furniture. The hardwood floors were scraped and ruined, there were darker squares where rugs used to be. The wallpaper had faded, except where dozens of painting no longer hung. Those squares dotted the walls starting down here and went all the way up the curved staircase that led upstairs to maybe bedrooms or offices. A lone broken chandelier still hung down from the upper floors. This was beautiful once, but time and circumstances had changed that.

"What was this place?"

"Some sort of museum I think. Had a lot more shit in it when I was last here," he replied.

"Barrington House. That's what it used to be called." We both turned to see Maggie standing in a doorway. "The Saviors did their best to destroy it, but this old house held her own."

She walked over and hugged Daryl, but they ended up laughing. 'You're kinda bigger than when I last saw ya."

"Well, the baby's due in a week or so. I feel like I'm carrying around a beach ball in front of me." Then she turned to me. "I'm glad you came for dinner, Jessie. I'm looking forward to getting to know you." She linked her arms with ours. "Follow me. I'm starving."

Together we headed through the foyer to an open doorway on the left. Rick and two other men were already there. "Why don't you both sit? I'll go help the girls."

I put my hand on her shoulder to stop Maggie. "No. You stay here. I'll go help, just point me in the direction of the kitchen."

"You sure?"

"Definitely. Now, which way is it?" Maggie told me where the kitchen was and I headed off to help. This has been ingrained in me since I was a kid. You go to someone's house for dinner, and you always helped. That was a code among women, and I wasn't going to break it on my first day here, even though I dreaded doing it.

I followed the short hall off to the left of the room until I heard women talking. I stopped for a second to get my courage up. Their conversation caught my attention.

"Michonne, you and Rick spent the night with them, what's she like? Do you think she's using Daryl?"

"Using Daryl for what, Carol? His money?" I heard a few people laugh.

"You know to protect her or something like that. This isn't normal for him."

"I agree this isn't normal for him, but it's Daryl. He does things on his own terms. And no she doesn't need him for protection. She's very capable of that herself. Why can't you just understand that he likes her?"

"Michonne, he's never liked a woman that way in all this time. Why her?"

This conversation was starting to piss me off. It was none of their business why Daryl liked me, no make that loved me. He did. End of story.

"Maybe because she's extremely pretty and she doesn't put up with his or Rick's bullshit. I like her so back off, Carol." Thank you, Michonne.

Then another voice spoke. "We all heard how much she liked him this afternoon. Damn, they were loud." I heard all three voices laugh again. Oops, going to have to learn to keep it down from now on.

"Do you really think he's that good? C'mon girls, it's Daryl."

As I walked into the room, my mouth just started going without my brain stopping it. "You have no idea what you've been missing out on ladies. Daryl…my Daryl is fucking awesome in bed. What you heard was not me faking it, but enjoying another incredible orgasm courtesy of Mr. Dixon. I'll try to keep it down, cause we tend to do it a lot. Now, what can I take to the table?"

Daryl would kill me if he knew what I just said. They asked, and I was tired of being talked about. The three women, Michonne, Carol, and Rosita, looked at me in surprise and embarrassment. "You can take the potatoes," Carol finally told me. I smiled at them, and with my heart beating a million beats a minute I grabbed the dish. I was almost at the door when Carol called out, "He's that good, huh?"

"You have no idea," I said forcing a laugh. "No idea."

After that, the tension in the kitchen dropped a bit but that didn't mean I wasn't pissed. Soon we had all of the food ready and on the table. I took the empty seat next to Daryl. It was very weird sitting down to eat this way. It was like the world had righted itself and everything was back to normal.

But it wasn't.

Food was passed, but before most of us started eating Rick stood up with a glass in his hand. "I want to make a toast." The rest of us picked up our glasses. We were only drinking water, but a toast was a toast.

"This has been a long hard road, but we're finally getting back on track with Hilltop being our new home. Thank you, Maggie and Jesus." Everyone took a sip, but Rick stopped us from putting our glasses down. "Not done yet."

"C'mon man, the foods gettin' cold," Daryl mumbled.

I watched Rick completely ignore Daryl. "Yesterday…when Daryl pulled his crossbow on me, it brought back memories of the beginning. His redneck ass hated me being a cop. We clashed a lot early on, but throughout it all, he always had my back. When I thought he was dead after Alexandria, I felt I had lost a brother. It's been different these last few months not having him to run things by and argue with. Realizing he was alive was incredible, right Michonne?" I saw Rick look down at his teary-eyed love. "Like now, we both got a bit choked up."

"I seem to remember three of you choking up," I added.

"Shut up, Angel."

"Awe, babe I love you, too," I said causing the whole table to burst out laughing.

Rick threw me a wink. "As I was saying, it was pretty emotional. I know we are still missing others that we know we won't be seeing again. This world is a cruel hard place to live, but for now, we have a little bit of happiness. Welcome back, Daryl!"

Everyone echoed his sentiments, and we all took another drink. "Got one more thing," he said. This time Daryl wasn't the only one to groan. "Welcome to the family, Jessie."

I wasn't expecting that. Not at all. Everyone was looking at me, and I didn't know what to do, so I merely said, "Thank you." I appreciated Daryl giving me knee a squeeze under the table.

"Can we eat?" Carl asked his dad. "I'm starving."

"You're a teenage boy, you're always hungry," laughed Michonne.

Rick sat down, and we all started eating a hot, wonderful meal. Meat. We had honest-to-god real meat. The last time I had, it was when Daryl came back with two rabbits. "What type of meat is this?" I asked glancing over at Carol.

"Aaron went hunting and brought back a couple of rabbits and a few squirrels. It's a combination of them both. I cooked them up, put them in gravy and we have dinner." She smiled at me, but I noticed it didn't reach her eyes. She was starting to bug me.

"It's very good. Thank you." For the rest of the meal, people enjoyed the food and conversations flowed between different small groups. It was hard for this many people to talk together, but the room was still filled with laughter. Only Daryl and I were a bit quiet during the meal. It was when everyone was pretty much finished, that Carol asked the question I knew many were dying to know the answer to.

"So, Daryl how did you two meet?"

I felt him tense up next to me. "Shit, Carol. That's a long ass story. Nobody here wants to know."

"You not only came back from the dead but with a girlfriend. That's unusual, so spill the story. What else have we got to do?" I noticed that Carol was immune to his evil glares. Now I wondered if they worked on anyone.

I put my hand on his strong bicep. "I'm sure they want to know how you made it out alive and what happened after that. Just tell them. Okay?"

"Not that much to tell. I was fighting like the rest of ya, but the houses were all on fire and they outnumbered us way too much. I couldn't find any of ya, so I went over the back wall and hid out for a couple days before going back. Everything was gone…the buildings, the people…everything. The only thing left was walkers. Saw too many faces I knew, so I put them down and got out of there in a hurry. Then I headed here and found the broken gate and no one. I tried the Kingdom, but that was also burned to the ground. After that, I just went off on my own never staying in anyplace longer than a few days. Was camping in the woods when three guys tried to jump me. I had two cans of food left, so there wasn't much. Cost them their lives and I got banged up some."

Really Daryl? "Banged up some? Are you kidding me? When I found you..." I interrupted him, "you were in bad shape. Really bad."

"Fine. Then you finish it," he grumbled. I knew he didn't like the attention on him.

"Okay, I will. So I had been on my own too. I took to the woods to stay out of the way of some nasty looking guys. I had been walking for hours when I came upon a clearing with an old run-down shack in it. That's where I found Daryl bleeding out and unconscious. He had knife wounds all over him, but the worst was this one in his side. I stitched him up and waited to see if he was going to live or die. Well, he woke his cranky ass up and I let him know who was in charge. He had broken ribs and his face was a bruised swollen mess. We planned on staying in the shack until he healed. Then we stayed longer cause…" I sneaked a peek at Daryl, "cause we wanted to. But the woods filled with walkers one day and we took off. I knew of a house that I thought would work for us from a run I had done when we got low on food. I went alone because he couldn't even lift the crossbow yet. That's the house we brought Rick and Michonne to last night. It was untouched when I found it. It was fenced in, had food, clothes, and transportation. I didn't want to leave it. Daryl and I were fine there…just the two of us, but he let me know that the iron fence was good, but wouldn't withhold a herd or a vehicle ramming it. So safe as I thought we were, we weren't. We came here so that Daryl would have his family back and we'd be safer."

People started asking Daryl and me a few questions, but none were personal. Thank God. Everyone then helped clean up the table, and when the dishes were washed Daryl and I could finally leave. Back in the day, I loved a good dinner party, but that was then. Now, I just wanted to head back to the trailer.

The sun was almost set but there was enough light left for him to give me a tour of where everything was. It didn't take long for us to make it back to our new home. I lit a few candles inside to give us light, but when I turned to look at Daryl I instantly knew what he wanted...me. Clothes flew off and I did my best to keep it down, but with him, it was so hard because we just worked. What he wanted, I needed and I tried not to cry out like I usually did, but he made it damn near impossible.

We were snuggled together in the small bed. Daryl had fallen asleep ahead of me for change. I didn't know where I was going to fit in here. I needed to earn my keep. We all did, but I was unsure of how I was going to do that. I decided to see what Daryl thought in the morning. Hilltop was being rebuilt and I wanted a hand in that. I finally allowed my eyes to close and Daryl's soft breathing helped lull me to sleep. He was my world….now more than ever.

.

* * *

A/N - Rick's explanation on how they escaped through the sewer tunnel was long written before the midseason finale for season 8 aired. I had no idea the writers were going to do that.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

 **Daryl**

Angel and I were leaving breakfast when I saw Rick coming down the main staircase. "You gonna be ready to go soon?" he asked. Damn, I had forgotten to tell Angel about the run.

"Yeah, give me ten."

"Make it fifteen and I'll meet ya by the gate," he said before going in to get something to eat.

I could feel her eyes boring into me. I shoulda told her last night, but I forgot. But stuff started happening between us and when she's naked nuthin' exists 'cept her. I turned to look at her and I saw fire in those beautiful eyes of hers. "I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you. Rick wants me to go on a run with him today."

"You forgot? How do you forget to tell me something like that, Daryl? We haven't even been here a full day and you're already leaving me?" She and I had a few small arguments before, but this time she looked really pissed.

"Let's not do this here. We can talk in the trailer." I took her hand and had to pull her to get her to move. That was not a good sign.

"You do realize that's not going to help, right?"

"What do you mean?" I think I was afraid of her answer.

"If they can hear us having sex, then they will certainly hear me yelling."

I really sucked at this relationship shit. I'm so used to doing what I want with my life, that now that I'm back with Rick and the others I'm ain't thinking about her as much. But we can't spend all our time together like we used to, it's different now and she's gotta understand that.

When we got inside, she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me. "I'm sorry. I honestly forgot to tell you. Rick and I do runs together all the time, so I really didn't think you'd mind."

"Daryl, I know no one here. I don't know what's expected of me. We spent the last few months doing everything together. I mean everything! And it's not even twenty-four hours and you're leaving me. It's like now that you have everyone back, you don't need me…except for sex. I won't be used that way."

Where was she coming up with this stuff? "You're right we always did everything together and I liked that, but you knew that wasn't my normal way of doing shit. It's not just us anymore. I love you, but I love them too. I…missed Rick. I couldn't ask for a better friend than him." I saw the anger growing in her and I didn't understand it.

"Better friend than me?" Damn her voice was getting loud.

"C'mon Angel, a guy friend. I didn't have any of those before all this shit happened. You know Merle was the only person I had. Rick's important to me. We're just going on a run. Michonne ain't even going." This was a different side to her that I was seeing. I couldn't be with her all the time anymore.

"So I guess that's your way of telling me I can't go either?"

"C'mon, sit down." I made her sit next to me on the old sofa. "I don't know where this is coming from. You're gonna have to let me do shit with other people. I shoulda told ya last night, and I'm sorry. But when we got back and started foolin' around, I forgot. When I got you naked, it makes me stupid. All I can think about it you. You know I never had that before." I threaded my fingers through hers. "I like being with ya, Angel, but I like being with Rick too."

"Oh really?" she said with a small smile appearing on her beautiful face. "You like fucking Rick, too?"

Oh hell. That didn't come out right. "Damn it, Angel. You know I don't mean that. You're the only one I want to do that with. Rick ain't nearly as hot as you are."

Angel burst out laughing. That's was I was hoping for. Had to get her to stop being mad so she could maybe see where I was comin' from.

"Daryl Dixon, you just made a joke. I didn't think you had it in you." She turned her body so it was facing me on the sofa. She took a deep breath before saying, "Okay, maybe I overreacted, but I'm not comfortable here yet. We went from spending every waking and unwaking minute together, to you leaving me alone right away. I know how we live will be different here, but I don't know anyone. All they do is talk about us and I don't like that."

Talk about us? I didn't like that either. "Who? Who's talking about us? We ain't none of their damn business."

"Well, when I went into the kitchen last night to help, Carol, Michonne, and Rosita were talking about us. Now, Michonne was really defending us…me, but it was Carol asking her questions."

"Like what?" That came out more heated than I wanted it to, but I was pissed. Carol and I were close friends, but if she had any questions, she shoulda come right to me.

"She wanted to know what I was like and if was using you, which Michonne basically laughed at. But mainly why me…why did you choose me after all this time? It's like I'm not…not good enough for you, but she doesn't know me at all."

Damn you, Carol! Why didn't she just come to me? I could see the tears starting and I didn't blame Angel for being upset. Hell, I was totally pissed off, but for her sake, I was trying to keep it under control. "I'm sorry, Angel. Carol is so far outta line I wanna kill her. She and I have always been close ever since her daughter went missing, but she is so wrong about you. If she woulda just waited until she got to know ya, she would see that you are way too good for a redneck like me. I still don't understand what ya doing with me, but I stopped questioning it." I pulled her into a hug knowing that she needed the reassurance. "Ain't planning on letting you go anywhere, Angel. You're stuck with me."

"I like being stuck with you," she said wiping away the tears. "Oh and one more thing."

"Oh, fuck…what's that?"

Angel had stopped crying and was now giggling. I would never understand women. "Apparently, these are pretty thin walls and they all heard us yesterday. One of them said something like, 'he can't be that good, can he?' and that's when I walked into the kitchen and said you were fucking awesome and we would try to keep it down, but since we did it all the time it may be hard or something like that."

All I could do was hang my head. I appreciated her support, but I had to see these people every day knowing that she told them I was "fucking awesome" in bed. Great.

"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, but it was like they didn't think you could be that good to make me get that riled up and you are! I swear this is the best sex I ever had!"

"I appreciate that, Angel. You know that I never had sex like this either. That's why I can't get enough of ya. You're too fuckin' hot, so all it takes is me lookin' at ya to get hard." I could see her eyes get a devilish look to them and she started to pull her shirt up. I was just able to see her tits in the bra that I was about to take off when there was a knock at the door. I forgot all about Rick.

I made sure that Angel had her shirt down before I opened the door. "You ready?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, let me grab my stuff." I slung my pack over my shoulder and picked up my crossbow. I already had my gun and knife on me. Angel got up and came over to kiss me goodbye. "Go check in with Maggie and even Michonne. They'll help ya get situated. We'll be back later, but if for some reason we get stuck, don't worry. I'm coming back to ya. Okay?"

"Okay. Just be safe...both of you."

After one more kiss, I finally headed to the door. Rick was standing there grinning "What?"

"Never thought I'd see Daryl Dixon in love."

"Fuck you, man," I growled at him stepping down out of the trailer.

"Now Daryl, you know you're supposed to be saving that for me, not Rick," Angel called out from inside the trailer.

There was no way I could stop the humiliation from turning my face a bright pink. "Would you two just leave me alone? Ain't we got places to go, Grimes?" I stormed off more embarrassed than mad.

I heard Rick laugh before telling Angel that she was good for me. She was, but she needed to stop talking to other people 'bout our sex life. And I had to keep her quiet somehow when she was coming. God knows how I was gonna do that. My girl is loud.

I just kept walking toward the main gate, but I had no idea where we were going or how. At least my face stopped feeling like it was on fire when Rick caught up to me.

"I like her you know."

"Yeah, I do too," I admitted. "So, what's the plan?" Time to change the topic from my love life to anything else.

"Thought we'd take the SUV we brought back and head west. Haven't gone in that direction much. See what we can see."

"Let's head out then. The sooner we go, the sooner we get back." I was looking forward to this run, but that didn't mean I wasn't gonna miss Angel.

Rick drove us out of Hilltop and we headed west as planned. We stopped at houses, stores, farms anyplace we thought could have shit that we needed, but everything was picked clean. It was already mid-afternoon when we tried another area that had nicer houses than most. The first one we stopped at had the door kicked in and once again it was empty of anything we could use.

"This is fuckin' hopeless," I grumbled as we got back in the SUV. "Every damn place has got nuthin'."

"I know," Rick agreed. "But we gotta keep trying."

We hit two more houses on that block without any luck. Now all I'm thinking is that I pissed off Angel for nuthin'. Usually, Rick and me could find something, but not even an old expired can of dog food was around. We're about to head out the door when Rick stops me.

"Wait."

"What?"

I saw Rick looking around the living room. I could see his brain going, but I had no idea what he was thinking. "What?" I was ready to head home.

"Today's been a total bust, but what if we are thinking wrong?"

"How so?" I asked. Anything place we thought that could have food or anything we could use we stopped at.

"Sure, we're not getting any of the usual stuff, but Hilltop needs more than food, batteries, and medicine. The Saviors destroyed a lot of the furniture we had. Many of the bedrooms are just a bed on the floor but look at houses like this. It's got nice furniture in it. Why don't we load the SUV up with it? It could all be of use, right?"

I could see his point, but I wasn't looking forward to moving heavy furniture. "Like what stuff? Can't fit sofas or shit like that."

Rick looked around the room a bit more and suggested we go upstairs. We ended up moving a dresser, a couple of side tables, a bed frame, and we tucked in whatever we could into the back. On top, we tied two chairs. It was certainly better than coming back empty-handed.

I took another run through the biggest bedroom. It had a nice triple dresser that we couldn't fit unless we had a truck. I started going through the drawers of women's clothing and throwing what I

thought someone could use into a black plastic bag. We always needed clothes.

The shit in the drawers was a mess, so it looked like someone had already rummaged through them. That's why when I was pulling out men's t-shirts and I felt something hard in the pile, I stopped. There was a square box, maybe 4x4 wrapped in pink and silver paper. It looked like it was meant to be a present for someone and since this house was definitely empty, I ripped open the present.

It was a black velvet box that screamed jewelry. I popped the top up and nestled on some black satin fabric was a necklace with a pear-shaped diamond hanging from it. Jewelry held no value anymore, that was unless the person just liked wearing it.

I may be new at this boyfriends shit, but even I knew women liked jewelry. This would make a great 'apology' gift for Angel. I hadn't really done anything wrong, but I know she was feeling a bit lost. This would help…I hoped, so I slipped it into my back pocket and finished loading up the clothes.

When we couldn't fit another thing in the SUV, we headed home. My girl was waiting.

 **Angel**

This day was absolutely dragging. The afternoon sun was going down and Daryl wasn't back yet. I was completely bored out of my mind. There was nothing to do here. After he left, I got a pail of water from the well and washed down everything inside the trailer. By then it was mid-morning so I walked up to the mansion to talk to Maggie.

I walked up to the house and found Maggie sitting in an office that was surprisingly undamaged. The rest of the building had minimal furniture and patched walls, but not here. "Hey, Maggie. Do you have a few minutes?" I asked her.

"Oh God, yes. I need a distraction. How are you settling in?" she asked.

Good question. "It's not as good as the house Daryl and I had, but a whole lot better than the shack we started out in. This is the first time I've been in a community like this before. I want to make sure I pull my weight here. What can I do?"

I watched her absently rub her rounded belly. Daryl had told me the story of her and Glenn. I knew he still carried the guilt over Glenn's death even though Maggie didn't blame him, I knew he would forever blame himself. Maggie was left on her own to raise their child during very difficult times. I didn't envy her at all, but I was also a little bit jealous.

Daryl and I were on the same page about having kids. We didn't want any in this world, which was good because I couldn't have any. That didn't mean that I wasn't sad too. Any chance of us changing our minds or if the planet righted itself and became safe again, having a child with him still wasn't an option. We agreed about not having kids now, but did he ever want them? Would this ever be a deal breaker for us? I sure as hell hoped not.

"Well," Maggie eventually said. "We're growing food, but that has a long way to go. We're hoping to get a crop in before winter."

"You don't want me there," I laughed. "All a plant has to do is look at me and it dies."

"Okay then," she said with a smile, "How about helping Carol?"

I didn't say anything, but apparently, my look said it all. "Is it cooking or Carol?"

I had to be very careful about how I worded this. I was the outsiders here and they were all 'family.' "I can cook, nothing fancy, but I make due. I'm just not sure Carol and I are a good fit…at least not yet."

"Why's that?" Maggie asked with a tilt of her head.

"When I walked in the kitchen last night to help, they were talking about me and Daryl. It seems that Carol is questioning why we are together. I get it that Daryl was never involved with anyone since you all knew him, but she questioned Michonne if I was using him, which made Michonne laugh. Then she asked 'why me?' and frankly that's none of her damn business."

I could definitely see that Maggie was trying to choose the right words. "Carol and Daryl have always had a close relationship. She gets protective of him, which there's no need for. Daryl is more than capable of handling anything thrown at him."

"Exactly. He's the most capable man I know. Do you think that she may have feelings for him? I could see him not realizing that and she's jealous?" I finally voiced what's been running through my head since last night. Daryl thought of the women in his group as friends and I knew he was never attracted to them, but he's a guy, He may have missed that Carol may want him more than a friend.

Maggie chuckled. "I think it's more of an over-protective sister than her being jealous. I've never got any feeling from either of them of anything more. But, I will say we were all surprised that Daryl and you were together. He never showed a hint of interest in anyone before. I'm happy for him, actually for you both. He's a great guy, but he's always been such a loner. You will be good for him."

Her confidence about me and Daryl felt good. I may barely know her, but she knew Daryl for a long time and if she felt I was good for him, then that made me happy. I knew he and I fit. That she, Rick, and Michonne agreed helped me feel more secure here. I needed to be accepted by his friends. They were important to him. Carol was going to have to come around. I had done absolutely nothing to have her question me.

"Thank you, Maggie. I do love his cranky redneck ass."

"I watched him with you at dinner last night. Daryl wasn't as tense as he normally is. He laughed a couple of time and he never does that. And I'm pretty sure I saw his arm move towards you under the table so that he was maybe giving you some reassurance. We're a lot to take all in one shot. The group used to be twice as big at one point." Maggie's eyes got sad. I knew she was missing her husband.

"At night, there was much to do except talk…"I started to say.

"And maybe have sex?" Maggie teased.

"Oh God, we fuck like rabbits," I laughed. "We actually needed a break, since he's not as young as he used to be, so we talked. I had him tell me about everyone including his brother, your father and sister and Glenn and Abraham. He needed y'all, almost more than you guys need him. He never had anyone believe in him until you guys, that why losing you about killed him." I was probably telling Maggie too much, but it felt good to talk to her. Plus, I wanted someone in his group to know what he went through. He would never admit to it.

"Maggie, he was in such a dark place when I found him. He thought everyone was dead and it was killing him. He was surviving, but he wasn't living. When he healed from his wounds we were friends. He would smile every now and then. We decided to continue on together but as companions. Later on, we both gave in to our feelings. It surprised him that I wanted him that way, but I was attracted to him the minute I found him. And now here we are. He's off with Rick and I'm looking for something to do to contribute."

"Well if you don't garden or want to cook, going on runs seem the best thing. Daryl and Rick are out, plus another group. Can you go out with Daryl?"

"I'll ask again. We always did runs together, but today was him and Rick only. No girls allowed."

Maggie stood up and I watched her stretch he back. "Daryl and Rick are two of the most capable men I know, but together they sure can find trouble. Just ask Michonne. She knows that as well as anyone."

I knew I had kept Maggie long enough. She must have work to do or maybe even a nap to take. It was time for me to go. "I've kept you long enough, but I just have one question about food."

We walked out to the entry foyer as Maggie explained how everything worked. Everyone took care of their own trailers, clothes, etc. There was a pantry for food for everyone. It seems the people living in the trailers cooked on a grill that either they made or found. I was going to have to put Daryl on that chore. Carol typically cooked for the people that lived in the big house, but she let me know that Daryl and I were always welcome up there for meals.

She went to lie down and I headed back to my lonely trailer. I still had nothing to do.

There was no way I was going to keep living this way. Just this one day was driving me crazy. When Daryl got back, we'd have to have a talk. If he was going to be going off doing stuff, then he better expect me right there with him. I wasn't a burden. I could completely handle myself on the outside and had been doing so since the beginning.

I had an idea that I wanted to run by him. It would give us something to do and help out Maggie at the same time. Now he just had to get back in one piece before I died of boredom.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty-One**

 **Daryl**

Rick pulled the overloaded SUV into the yard. We had stuff on top of the car, sticking out the back, and coming out the windows. Looked like moving day back home. It took only a couple of minutes for people to start to come out to see what we had. Angel ran out of our trailer jumped into my arms wrapping her legs around my waist. I was glad I hadn't picked up my crossbow yet because that would have been awkward. She kissed me deeply and I responded immediately. I had missed her.

Angel tends to make me forget everything around me because it took Carol saying, "Get a room you two," for me to remember we were standing in the middle of the yard. I tried to ignore the people around us as I let her drop her feet down to the ground. Everyone I knew was looking at me in amusement. Kissing in public wasn't really my thing. See, she makes me do shit I don't normally do. "Help us unpack," I told her. That came out more like an order than a request. Didn't mean it like that way, just wanted the attention off me.

Angel stuck out her tongue at me before she started to untie the ropes attached to the chairs on top of the car. I just shook my head at her as I did the same. "What you guys got?" Michonne asked as she and Maggie joined us.

"Well," Rick started to say, "We were coming up with nothing at all scavenging. Everything was picked clean. Then we realized that the houses we were in had nice furniture and The Hilltop was in short supply of that thanks to the Saviors, so we brought some back. Figured, we should start to look for really anything we need these days."

"What plans do you have for it?" Maggie asked.

"I'll leave that up to you, but maybe one room may get a chair, another gets a bed frame or a dresser. Keep piece mealing it out until we don't need anymore. That way everyone benefits. Just a suggestion."

By now Aaron and Carl had started to take stuff out of the back with Angel giving them a hand. She was easily diving in to help and I appreciated that.

"That's a good way of distributing everything. Feeling more at home will help everyone settle in. Did you have anything in mind for yourself?"

"Nope. We're good," he said turning to Michonne. She nodded her agreement. I knew exactly what Rick was doing. He needed stuff as much as anyone else did, but he was going to wait. The others came first. I felt the same way, but Angel and me needed less.

The trailers had more stuff in them than the rooms in the mansion. Plus, a smaller size table or dresser was all that would fit. This stuff would fit in the house better anyway.

We unpacked the car while Maggie told everyone helping where to put each piece except the chairs. They were nice soft matching wingbacks. "Okay, one can go in Carol's room and the other will go in…"

"Your room," Michonne interrupted her.

"No, I'm fine," Maggie replied with a smile.

"The chair is going in your room." Rick's tone told her not to buck him on this.

Michonne put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Maggie, you will need it with the baby. It's perfect for late night feedings and there will be a lot of those."

Before Maggie could argue anymore I picked up one side of the chair and Aaron did the other. "Where's her room?" I asked.

"I know it," Aaron said. We had it in her practically empty room before she even made it back inside.

Aaron said goodbye as headed back to his quarters and I went down the staircase two steps at a time. I walked quickly through the barren foyer and waited outside for Maggie to get to up the steps. She was moving slowly with one hand on her back. The pregnancy looked good on her, but she also looked pretty damn tired. She smiled at me when made it up.

"You okay?" I asked her.

"Yes, thank you, Daryl. I'm just ready for the baby to come. And thanks for the chair."

"Well, your room ain't got much in it, so it'll give you a place to relax with the kid. You need me for anything, you just let me know. 'kay?"

"I'm so glad your back, Daryl. We really missed you." She kissed my cheek, but then whispered, "I like Jessie. She looks good on you."

I wasn't sure what she meant by the last part, but I gave her a thank you hug anyway. Now I had only one place to go…home to Angel. It was nice to know I had someone waiting for me. This was the first time I had that and it felt good. It felt right. I looked at our trailer and there she was leaning against it waiting like I knew she would be. There was no way I could help the big smile I had. It was just too good to see her.

"You sure look happy. What's got that big smile on your face, babe? Maggie say something?" Angel asked.

I walked up to her and got real close. I looked down into those angel eyes of hers and just smiled. I couldn't help it. "Yeah, but I'm happy to be back. Seeing you here waitin' for me and looking as hot as you are. I know I'm a damn lucky man." I didn't give her a second to respond. Instead, I crushed my lips to hers and I felt her melt her body against mine.

"I missed you, too," she managed to get in between kisses.

Angel jumped up so I was holding her against my body with her legs wrapped around me again. I just started walking towards the door. She had her arms around my neck, so I quickly reached past her and opened the trailer door. Carefully, I carried her up the two steps and inside, then kicking the door closed. I wanted her. Wanted her so damn badly.

We made out like two horny kids with me still holding onto her. I could never get enough of her mouth. It didn't matter if it was kissing my lips, biting my shoulder, or sucking on my dick. Her mouth was addictive.

Finally, I felt her legs relax and I released her so she was standing on her own. Even though my arms had been getting tired I would have held her like that for as long as she wanted. Our lips parted when she stepped back from me, but her eyes never left mine.

Angel took a few steps away from me before reaching for her braid and letting it loose. Her hair floated around her like a black cloud of silk that was down to her curvy butt. Then I watched her take the bottom of her shirt in her fingers and lift it over her head. She stood there in a purple lace bra that I never remembered seeing. And hell yeah, my eyes dropped from hers down to her chest. Angel had a perfect set of tits and I always wanted to be touching them.

Back the house, when it was just us, I would walk up to her out of the blue and slip my hand up her shirt. I love the little sounds she makes when I'm playing with them. She was just as bad flashing me as often as she could. Didn't matter what we were doing. I could be tuning up the bike or the car, or adding more spikes to the fence and I would know the instant she walked outside. And every time she flashed me, she wasn't wearing her bra. That got me horny in an instant and I'd have her pinned against the sofa or kitchen counter or even the porch railing as fast as I could get my pants down.

I would never get tired of having sex with her. Never.

Angel reached behind and unclasped the bra. Slowly she slid a strap off one shoulder, then the other before pulling it off of her and dropping on the floor. Her nipples were already hard pink buds in anticipation of what was to come. It took just two steps for me have her close enough so I could bend over and take her fuckin' perfect tit in my mouth.

Her fingers threaded through my hair as she held me against her. My dick was rock hard in my pants as she started to make those mewling sounds that got to me every time. Everything she did turned me the fuck on.

Angel released her hold on me and started to pull my shirt up and off. I let her do that and then moved to her other breast. Finally, the pressure in my pants got too much so I let her go from my mouth and stepped back. We were both already panting.

What we were doing was good, but not nearly enough. Simultaneously, we started to unlace our boots. Right came off first, then the left. I popped the button on my pants the same time she did and after a quick unzipping, we were both naked.

Every step I took toward her, she took one back. The room was small, so it wasn't long before she was backed against the bed. Just where I wanted her. My final step had her kneeling on the bed, looking up at me. Our eyes stayed locked together as I took both nipples between my fingers and rolled them first, before tweaking them. Once. Twice. The third time was harder than the rest. Much harder.

"Again," she begged me. "Again."

This time I grasped them between my fingers and tugged, pulling on them. I knew it was painful, but I also knew this is what she liked. That's when I noticed that she had moved her hand to her pussy and had started playing with herself.

"Like that?"

"God, yes."

"Good. You gettin' yourself off?"

"Maybe," she sighed.

Angel was the creative one in our sex life. Those long nights we spent together were full of sex, but she was always thinking of something new to try. One night, she said that she wanted me to watch her finger herself. It was one of the hottest things I had ever seen. When she was done, she told me I had to do the same thing. She would watch me.

Now I had jerked off more times than I wanted to think about, but only by myself. I would stroke my dick before fuckin' her, but never until I came. It was a little bit weird at first, but once I realized how much it was turning her on it got easier. It was something we did a few more times, but seeing her with her fingers wet from being inside herself got to me every time. She was the hottest chick on the damned planet!

But today wasn't a day I wanted to watch her. I needed to touch her myself. When she felt my fingers on hers, she removed them from inside of her and let me slip two right up in her. We were both still staring at each other, so when she sucked on one of her fingers it caused my dick to twitch. When she put the other one in my mouth I sucked it clean while my fingers pumped in and out of her.

"Lay down," I told her. My hand followed her body so that it never left her. Now she was lying on her back and I was next to her. I crushed my mouth to hers and we both fought for control of the kiss. She was just as aggressive as I was. This was how we both liked it…rough and hard. Our lips were pressed tightly against the others, with tongues waging a war that neither would win. I know had three fingers pumping in and out of her and she had her hand wrapped around my dick. Goddamn that felt so good.

We stayed this way until I could take it no more. My fingers pulled out of her and she let me go as I shifted so that I was now above her. I had a hand on either side of her head and my arms were holding me up. I rubbed my dick on her a couple of times, without penetrating her.

"You going to fuck me or tease me?" she purred. I felt her hands running down my back until the squeeze both butt cheeks.

"Oh, I'm gonna fuck you girl, I just wanna know one thing."

"What's that?" she asked raising her legs.

I positioned myself at her entrance. "Do you want it…hard?" I asked as I slammed into her. "Or really good and hard?" To emphasize my words I pushed her legs back and thrust into her several times as deep as I could go. I knew she felt me bottoming out.

The bed was creaking loudly, but I didn't give a shit. "Oh God…as really hard as you can go. I need you so damn bad!" she cried out.

I used every ounce of control I had to keep up this crazy pace for as long as I could. There was nothing better than being inside of her. And being inside of her this way…fuckin' until the bed broke, we passed out from exhaustion, or until neither of us could take it anymore. Once wasn't going to be enough tonight…it was never enough. The sun hadn't set yet, so I knew we could do this another two times before we passed out.

Finally, I started to hit the point of no return. I had held off for a long as I could as I pounded her pussy, but when she started pulling at her own nipples and making those sounds of hers, it pushed me over the edge. I let out a long loud growl as I spilled into her over and over again. Seconds later, she started to buck under me letting out one long scream.

I collapsed on top of her as her body still had small waves flowing through it. We both couldn't catch our breath as our sweaty bodies were stuck together as one. I finally picked my head up that was resting on her shoulder and dropped a kiss on her lips before I tried to move off of her. The bed was small so after a few adjustments, we got comfortable with her curled up next to me.

"That was crazy good," she sighed.

"Yeah. I'll never get enough of you, you know that right?" I doubted I ever would. Each time I wanted her more and each time it got better and better, which I never thought could be possible. We really haven't been together that long, but I knew there would never be another for me. Angel was it.

"When I get some strength back, I'll find something for us to eat. I don't feel like going up to the big house, do you?" Angel asked.

"Fuck, no. I just wanna stay naked with you." That was the truth.

"Good. Hey, can I run an idea by you?"

"Shoot."

Angel sat up a bit so her arm was resting on my chest and she looked at me. "I think we should go on a run for Maggie."

I thought it odd that Maggie would ask Angel to go on a run for her. She barely knew Angel, so asking me or Rick made more sense. "What did she ask you to look for?"

"Well, she didn't actually ask me, but I think she may need supplies for the baby. What do you think?"

Maggie definitely needed stuff for the kid. I noticed how little she had in her room and was gonna mention it to Rick. I could just as easily do the run with Angel. "I remember when Lil' Asskicker was born. Rick's kid. Maggie and me had to do a run real quick cause Lori died and we had nuthin' for the kid to eat. I was just in Maggie's room putting that chair in there and I didn't see much for a kid. She never asks for shit, never did, but she has a baby to think of. So, yeah, we're gonna go on a run tomorrow."

Angel flashed me an excited smile, and I pulled her in for a kiss. It meant a lot to me that she thought of doing this for Maggie, especially since she only met her yesterday. "Thanks for suggesting this. It's a good idea."

"I spent a little bit of time with Maggie today. She really is a great person and I figured you could never have too much baby stuff. Plus, it will give me something to do."

"Maggie couldn't help?" I asked.

"I kill plants, so gardening was out. Can't guarantee I won't kill Carol, so cooking was out too."

"Angel."

"Hey, unless she starts to be nice to me, I'm not promising anything."

I knew I was going to have to talk to Carol. I had only been back barely a day so I really hadn't had the time to catch up. Maybe if she knew everything was good with me and Angel, she'd back off. If she didn't, we'd have a problem and I didn't want that. Carol and I had been through too much together.

"Did you come up with anything?" There had to be something here to keep her busy.

Angel just shook her head. "Not really. Just going on runs, but if I don't know the team, how can I know they'll be able to have my back. That's why I'm glad to go with you tomorrow. I was bored to death here today."

"Are you bored now?" I asked her while giving one of her tits a squeeze.

"Never with you, Daryl."

Next thing I knew she was climbing on top of me and rubbing her pussy on my dick that was waking up fast. I never met a girl as horny as she was. As soon as I was hard enough, she reached between us and guided me inside her. I could never get enough of that feeling of her body holding onto mine. When she started to ride me, I asked, "What about dinner?"

"Fuck dinner. This is way more fun and satisfying," she laughed.

And she was right. Fucking was the best thing in this fucked up world. I knew that being with Angel was the reason. She made everything different and so much better. I wondered how I got so lucky with her. It still didn't make sense to me why not only did she want to be with me, but that she loved me. I didn't deserve her someone like her, that's for sure.

I held onto her hips as she rode me hard. Her hair was flying, her eyes were closed, and her boobs were bouncing as she moved back and forth on me. Hands down the hottest woman to ever exist was mine and she riding my dick like there was no tomorrow. And there may not be. Nothing was a guarantee these days, but knowing she loved me was all I needed. Life was good, no it was better than that. Life was fuckin' awesome.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

 **Angel**

Daryl was driving our SUV down deserted streets as we searched for the first stop in our run. Even though the SUV was now communal property, I still thought of it as ours. I always would. My feet were propped up on the dash as the warm air from the hot, muggy day flowed through the car. Air conditioning used up extra gas and since that was in such a limited supply these days we went without.

I had the map I had found all those months ago on my lap along with another Daryl had scrounged up. Looking through an old phone book that I saw on a shelf in Maggie's office, I had the addresses of half a dozen baby shops on my list. With any luck, we'd find what we needed pretty quickly, but I was prepared if we needed to keep searching.

Rick knew what our run was about, but we kept it from Maggie. I wanted it to be a surprise and Daryl agreed. If for any reason this didn't work out, then we wouldn't disappoint her, but we would keep looking another day. The problem was we didn't have that many days left before Maggie gave birth, so we needed to be as successful as possible today.

"We're looking to turn left onto Maple Street and it should be somewhere there," I told Daryl.

"What's this place called again?"

"Sprouts." Daryl turned and gave me a look that had me laughing. "Hey, I didn't name it and that looks like Maple coming up."

He maneuvered the car around a lone walker in the middle of the road before making the turn. We cruised slowly down the quiet street before stopping in front of the baby store. I could tell that the door was already ajar and that didn't bode well.

Daryl had his crossbow up as we approached the door and I had my gun. He looked at me to make sure I was ready before he pushed the door open. Since baby stores didn't stock normal supplies that adults needed, I had hoped they wouldn't be in bad shape. Unfortunately, this one was.

There were two walkers in the store that turned to us the second Daryl went through the door. He took out one with a bolt and I used my knife on the other one. I could easily tell there wasn't much usable here. We poked through the debris finding just a few things that we could take. There was a few unbroken toys, a couple of onesies that needed to get washed, and a stuffed giraffe. We loaded our meager finds into the car and took off looking for the next shop.

And the next one.

And the next one.

After three stores that barely gave us anything decent to bring back, I was starting to get depressed. "Daryl, we need to find more than the little bit we have in the back seat. I was hoping for a small crib, clothes, diapers anything and everything baby. Basically, we have shit."

"How many places you got left on your list?" he asked me.

"Three. The next one is in Dover. I was hoping we'd didn't have to go this far, but everything has been pretty much a bust so far. I honestly didn't think we'd have this much trouble." I guess even with the world screwed up, people still kept having babies.

But it wasn't always that the businesses were empty, they were mainly trashed and somewhat empty. That made no sense at all. Why trash baby store?

"I'm used to shit going wrong, so it doesn't surprise me. Show me on the map where we gotta go."

We were sitting safely in the SUV so I spread the map out between us and pointed to where we currently were. "And where's Dover?"

I had already circled it on the map. "Over here."

"It's a decent drive. We may not make it back tonight. Is that okay with you?"

As long as I was with Daryl, I knew it would be fine. "That's why I packed some food just in case this happened."

"Good thinking."

"What did you pack?" I asked him as I folded the map.

"You."

Smart ass.

"Good one," I laughed. "Now just get us safely to Dover."

Daryl pulled out down the main road of whatever small town we were in. "What's my incentive?"

"For what?"

"Getting us there in one piece."

I turned and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Staying alive isn't enough?"

"Nope."

I saw the little smirk he was trying to hide. We traveled a lot by his bike and only a handful of times together in the car. This was our first long car trip and he's already looking for a blowjob. He's just lucky that I love having his dick in my mouth. "Do you want little Daryl to come out and play while you drive?"

He looked at me dead serious. "Did you just call my dick little?"

I leaned over and nudged his ear with my nose. "Babe, we both know that your dick is anything but little. I didn't mean it that way at all, but maybe I can make it up to you both."

"How's that? He's pretty insulted."

Daryl was never playful this way, so I was doing everything in my power not to laugh. He was being just too damned cute. "Hmm, just as I expected. It's getting too crowded in there, don't you think?" My hand rested on the large bulge in his pants. We had started this, maybe thirty seconds ago and he was already hard as a rock.

Quickly, I undid his belt and top button, but when my fingers grasped the zipper tab, he said. "You better go slowly."

"Did you not put on underwear again today?" What was with him and wanting to always hang loose? He did wear the boxer briefs I had found for him, just not all the time.

"Nope."

Great. He didn't see me roll my eyes as I slid my left hand into his pants and over his erection to help protect it. There wasn't a lot of room so it took a few minutes to get my hand in there onto his family jewels. A quick glance up at him, I saw he was staring at the road, but there was a definite smile on his handsome face.

I gave him a nice long squeeze and he looked over at me. "Like that, don't you?"

"I'd have to be dead not to want your hand on my junk."

"You do realize that you'd already be in my mouth if you didn't have to worry about you getting caught the damn zipper. We're wasting time." My words were meant to be motivation for him to always wear them, but instead, he slammed on the brakes and the car jolted to a stop in the middle of the road.

"Don't move your hand," he growled at me.

I felt him slightly lift his buttocks up from the seat before he carefully lowered the zipper so not to catch me in it now. Then he yanked his pants partway down giving me easy access to his very erect cock.

"Much better," I told him as my hand started to stroke him.

Daryl put the car back into gear and we headed off with him driving while his dick was standing up straight. I took a hold of him and started giving him long strokes with my hand. "You ever do this before?" I asked. I knew his sexual experiences were limited to quickies, so I didn't think he'd been blown in a moving car before. But you never know.

"Hard to do on a bike."

Good point.

I loved being his firsts. First girlfriend, first time he fell in love, and his first road job. All the important firsts for a guy. "Just don't drive us into a ditch, okay?" That had happened to me once before, and it wasn't fun.

"Aren't you talking too much?"

Maybe I was. I bent over and used my tongue to swirl around the head as my hand still stroked him. This was always an awkward position, but I could manage. Bet the guy who came up with bucket seats, never realized how much he was screwing up not just getting laid in a car, but blowjobs. A bench seat worked so much better.

When I started to take him in my mouth I thought I heard a few moans escape from Daryl. Even though no one was around to catch us like before the turn, there was always a thrill to doing something like this. Even now.

I sucked, licked, and even hummed a bit with about half his length. My head was bobbing up and down faster than a bobblehead. He felt so thick in this position that I had to stretch my mouth as far as it could go. Then I started working my way down his shaft taking in a little bit more each time. I could already feel him hitting the back of my throat and he wasn't all the way in yet.

Daryl's right hand was absently rubbing my back as he drove with the left. I had to take a short respite from having him that deep in my mouth, so I could get a few deep breaths in. He had enough blowjobs from me to know that I was about to go for it all. When I started taking him in again, I heard a few "Oh fucks," come from him. I pushed faster and deeper until my lips were pressed up against the base of his cock and he was in as deep as he could go. Then I let up a little and did it again, but this time I felt the brakes hit and I almost slid off the seat.

I knew he was about to come so I took him in all the way again while playing with his balls. Daryl let out one of the loudest groans I had ever heard from him as the hand that was on my back now held my head down on him as he spurted down my throat. Over and over again.

He released the hold on my head and I lift up so I could breathe and swallow anything that was left. When I sat up I saw his eyes were closed as his head rested back on the seat. Daryl's breathing was coming in short rapid breathes.

"You can't tell me you have this much fun riding with Rick?"

That caused him to chuckle. "Hell, no." After his breathing calmed down, he opened his eyes and said, "C'mere."

He gave me an open-mouthed kiss, which he had gotten used to doing after he came in my mouth before holding me in a tight hug. "Thanks," he said softly.

Then our moment was ruined by two walkers slamming themselves against the car. I jumped as I had completely forgotten the world around us. For a little bit it was just Daryl and me, but as quickly as that came, it was gone in a flash by the dead banging on the car trying to get to us.

"Shit," he cursed as he shifted the car into drive and we took off.

 **.**

 **Daryl**

 **.**

Angel was right. Riding in a car with her had certain benefits that Rick couldn't match. If I hadn't stopped the car when I came, we would've ended up off the road. Maybe it was the thrill of her going down on me while I drove or just the fact that she gives the best head I ever had, but I knew at the end that if I didn't stop we'd be in trouble. That girl has a magic mouth.

Then those asshole walkers had to go and ruin it at the end. Damn, I hate this world we live in. Once, I drove off and got rid of them, I stopped the SUV to get myself all tucked in again. Now it was about an hour later and we were looking for another store on Angels' list.

"Where do we have to go in Dover for this place?" I asked.

"No idea. My street map doesn't cover Dover. All I have is an address, 157 Old Mill Lane, but the ad in the phonebook did say just off of Main Street. So we find Main and look from there."

"What's this one called?"

"Tiny Tots."

It didn't take us long to find Main Street. I was glad to see that Dover was a small town. Maybe we stood a chance of actually finding something here. We hadn't seen a live person since we started this morning. Dover had its share of the dead, but nothing we couldn't handle.

Angel pointed to a street. "There's Old Mill on the right. Turn there."

Tiny Tots was in a yellow building that we practically missed. The sign was gone, but Angel noticed the street number above the door. It sure didn't look like a baby store to me, but I pulled up on the grass in front of it, positioning the car for an easy getaway.

I banged on the front door to attract any walkers inside, but none came. The door was locked, so Angel handed me the crowbar out of the pack and I pried it open. Once the dust settled and our eyes adjusted to the dark, we saw we had a fully intact baby shop.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Angel kept repeating as she jumped up and down. "We finally found one!"

Even I could tell all we had to do was empty this place out and Maggie would be set for a long time. It was perfect. "Good job, Angel. What do you want to take first?"

"Big stuff that we can tie to the top of the car. Let's look for boxes with fold up cribs, strollers, a changing table and even a car seat. After that, anything else gets shoved in the back. We take everything."

We combed through the store and realized that most of the bigger stuff out here was display items, so we cleared the back room and that's where we found the boxes that Angel was looking for. The only thing we took 'as is' was what Angel called a changing table. We worked well together grabbing what big stuff that Maggie needed and getting it tied to the top of the SUV. I hadn't realized that Angel had planned for this until she pulled out rope and bungee cords that she had loaded into the back.

She impressed me to no end.

Now that the big stuff was taken care of, we started to shove everything we could into shopping bags we found behind the counter. We took clothes first, then whatever Angel pointed to pack up. We planned on taking as much as we could fit, but I could see that Angel had priorities on certain stuff.

The back of the SUV was pretty much jammed packed and I was doing one last check around the store. I was ready to go as I felt we had been here too long. It was just a gut feeling I had. Angel was crouched down behind the counter pulling out the last cans of formula when I heard a noise behind me, I dropped what I had in my hands and grabbed for the crossbow on my back.

"Don't even try it," a voice said.

I turned slowly to see a man standing in the doorway. He had a ballcap on his head with blonde hair poking out several inches below it. Even though he was threatening me, there was a weariness to his face that told me he had been on his own a while, but it was the coldness in his eyes that worried me.

"What you want?" I growled at him.

"Your car. Why's it loaded down with baby shit?"

I said the first thing that came to my head. "My girl had a baby the other day and we need shit for it. Found this store and was taking everything back to her." I needed him to think I was here alone.

"Babies just die, man. You're better off just killing it now. Throw me the keys."

"Not happening."

He raised the gun up a little bit higher. "Don't make me kill you, man. Just toss me the keys and keep your life."

Angel was quiet behind the counter. I knew she could hear every word, but I needed her to stay safe. I could handle this jackass. "You're not getting the car. Get out of here before I put a bolt through ya."

"How are you going to do that, when I have a gun pointed at you and the crossbow is on your back? You willing to die for a car?"

There was a sudden sound across the room that had the guy briefly look away from me for a second. My eyes never left him, but my hand went for my crossbow. Just as I was swinging it around, there was a loud gunshot and the guy fell dead onto the floor. I looked over and saw Angel standing up holding her gun. She had killed him. The dude was going to have to die, either way, I just didn't want her to be the one that did it. Killing wasn't easy, but I had done it too often for it to bother me much anymore.

I headed toward her as she ran to me. I held her in my arms overcome with relief. "You okay?" I murmured into her hair.

"I think so. He was going to kill you, Daryl. I had to do it." I wasn't sure if she was trying to convince me or herself.

"I know, Angel. I was going to take him out, you didn't need to."

She lifted her head from my chest and looked up at me. "Daryl, I know you are really good at this, but he had a gun pointed directly at you. Your gun was still on your hip and the crossbow on your back. So unless you have superpowers that I am unaware of he had you."

"I was working on those details when you sidetracked him. I didn't want you to have to do that, but I'm glad that you are a good shot."

"Me too. Can we head out?" The usual sparkle I saw in her eyes was gone. This was already weighing heavily on her.

"Yeah. Grab the cans of formula and I'll take care of him. We exit together, okay?"

Angel nodded and in less than two minutes we were driving down the main street of Dover headed toward home. My girl was quiet as she stared out the window. I got us out of town as fast as I could and started to look for a place for the night. It was too long of a drive to make it back by dark and Angel was about to crash. Taking out a walker is one thing, a man is an entirely different story.

My first kill was Dale. Even though it had been a mercy killing since everything inside his belly had been pulled out by a walker, it wasn't easy at all, but it had to be done. I stayed by myself that night after everything started to calm down. I needed to be away from everyone.

He was an old man that poked his nose into everything, but he didn't deserve to die that way. No one does. That whole night I sat under the stars with my back leaning up against a tree just staring out into the dark. Not only had I taken a life, but it hit me that my own would be changed from here on out. We were going to need to kill to survive this world. I knew deep down that this was only the start. If I didn't learn to handle this, I may as well just shoot myself right now. That's why I created a wall around this part of my life. It was the only way.

Dale would be missed in the days that followed and it changed the dynamics of our group. I still wore the weight of his death on my shoulders. Rick had enough to deal with as it was so that's why I took the gun from him. One shot to the head and Dale was gone. I had killed my first person. It was that easy and that hard.

Even though Merle and I had survived by living on the wrong side of the law most of our lives, I don't think I could have taken a life back then. I could now and had too many of those notches to even count anymore. I did whatever had to be done to keep myself and our group alive. My wall just kept getting higher and higher.

With the business district of Dover behind us, I looked for a house where we could spend the night. I wanted something that no one else would consider and I needed to hide the SUV. I saw an old, dilapidated white ranch that looked like I could get the car in the backyard.

"We're stopping?" Angel asked.

"Yep. Hoping this house will make do for the night. No way to make it back to Hilltop." I took her hand in mine and gave it a squeeze. "You okay to help me clear it, or do you want to wait here?"

"We're a team, Daryl. We do it together."

I gave her hand one more squeeze before we both hopped out of the SUV. I popped open the back door so easy that the people that had lived there should have been ashamed. It was a flimsy lock. The house was dark, dirty, but empty. It would work.

Angel grabbed her pack with the food and supplies and I repositioned the car for a fast getaway. I secured the back door as much as I could. Both of our stomachs were rumbling since we hadn't eaten since the morning. We ate a quick cold meal in the living room and when I came back from putting the cans in the kitchen, I saw the tears streaming down Angel's face as she stood in the center of the room.

This was what I was expecting. She was always such a strong woman, but taking a life wasn't easy. No matter what the reason. I took her by the hand and together we found the bedroom. I flipped the dusty bedspread over and laid down on it. Angel followed snuggling into my arms while she let the tears come.

I said the only thing I could think of to her, "I love you." She knew she had to do what she did, but that didn't make it any easier. I was pretty sure I could have handled him, but nothing was a guarantee. Angel killing that man saved my life. And it wasn't the first time either. I would probably be dead or still an angry loner living in the woods if she hadn't found me. I owed her everything. I gave her the most precious thing I had to give…my heart. It belonged to her and no one else. It never would.

I felt her exhausted body finally fall asleep. We stayed that way the entire night with Angel curled up next to me sleeping on my chest and me wide awake. She needed to recharge and I was going to do my best to keep her safe. I'd easily give my life to protect hers. Losing a night's sleep was the least I could do for her. I loved her.

.

* * *

A/N - Thank you to those reading Angel. I appreciate the recent comments!


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

 **Angel**

I had killed a man. He wasn't the first and he won't be the last, but that doesn't mean it doesn't destroy me a bit each time I have to do it. He was my third. It was a choice between either him or Daryl, and that meant he didn't stand a chance. Daryl would always be my first priority.

I could tell that even hunched behind the counter that Daryl thought he could take him, but sometimes he's a bit overconfident. There was a mirror that I could see what this guy was doing. His gun was out and Daryl's wasn't, plus his crossbow was on his back, so I'm not sure how he thought he could take the guy out. That's why I had to. It was the only option.

Now its hours later and a new day is starting. Daryl let me cry without making a big deal of it. It was something I had to just get out of my system. Now it's behind me and I can move forward. I had woken up a little while ago but hadn't opened my eyes yet. Daryl was awake, but he continued to hold me against him. The security I felt from him was something I had never experienced before. Even though I could hold my own in this world, having Daryl with me gave me a sense of relief that not one other person could.

"Did you sleep at all?" I asked softly as I finally turned up to look him.

"Yep."

"Are you lying to me?" I knew he was.

"Yep." Have to admire his honesty after the fact.

"Why didn't you sleep?"

"Because you needed it more than I did. I wanted to make sure that we were safe here. That loaded down SUV is just begging for attention that we don't need. No one's gonna take the time to go through it to see that it's only baby shit." Daryl gently kissed me. "You okay?"

"Now I am. It's…just hard," I admitted.

"How many?" he asked me.

"He was the third. How about you?" I knew he wasn't even close to my three. It could be three times, maybe even ten times what I have done. This was how we lived, how we survived.

Daryl was quiet for a minute. I noticed the slight tension in his body that came with my question. "You don't want to know." I could tell by his tone that's all I was going to get, but it told me enough. The number was high enough that he didn't even want to think about it.

"I could have taken him, you know," he said. "You didn't have to do it."

Now it was my turn to lie to him. "I know you could have, but I had a clean easy shot. Why chance it?" I wasn't as confident as he was about that, but I didn't want him to know I had doubted his ability. He was good, but not invincible. Then I added, "I like having you around. Got you broken in just right."

Daryl rolled his eyes at me, but I didn't miss the smirk he had on his face. "You're alright having around, too."

I leaned up and dropped a lingering kiss to his lips. "Guess we should get going. I'm excited to get everything back to Maggie."

"You got anything to eat left in your pack?" he asked.

I sat up on the bed and stretched. Daryl slid next to me. "I should have a few cereal bars. Let me find them." They were easy to locate in my bag and we quickly ate them washing them down with a bottle of water that we split.

Daryl checked out the front windows and didn't see any activity, so we were good to head out. The car was still where we left it in the backyard and Daryl checked the ropes holding everything down on top. They were still tight. It was time to head back to the Hilltop.

The ride back was fairly uneventful except for two people we saw walking that wanted us to stop. Daryl didn't and I wouldn't have either. No one could be trusted these days, plus we had no room. I knew we were getting close to Hilltop as I started to recognize some of the landmarks that we passed.

We had both been pretty quiet during the ride. I turned from gazing out the window to looking at the man that meant more to me than anyone ever had. "Thank you, Daryl."

"For what? I didn't do nuthin'."

"Yes, you did. You knew last night I just needed to be. You didn't push me to talk about what happened. Sleeping in your arms was the best thing for me. Plus…you didn't push me to have sex." Last night was the first in a very long time that we didn't have sex or do anything sexual. Any other guy would have tried, but not Daryl. He got me better than I did myself.

"Why would I push you to have sex? You know I ain't that way."

"I'm going to be blunt here...okay? We fuck like rabbits. All the time and when we can't I'm sucking you off, so we're always doing something. Last night was the first time in I can't even count, that we didn't do anything. And you didn't even try because you knew I just needed to be. Most guys would have tried to start something."

"I ain't like most guys, Angel." There was a slight heat in his voice, but I wasn't comparing him to other men.

"No, you aren't, thank God. You are one of a kind and I am so lucky to have you in my life. I love you, Daryl Dixon. I always will."

His face relaxed and he put a hand on my knee as he drove. "Love you too, Angel. Never met anyone like you before."

"That's why we work, Daryl. Our uniqueness fits the other perfectly." I leaned my head on his shoulder and stayed that way until we bounced our way up the dirt road that led to Hilltop. Daryl flashed the lights and the big gate swung open to let us in.

"Here's my idea," I told him as he turned off the engine. "I want this to be a surprise for Maggie, so I will go find her and tell her she can't leave her office. Then we get as many people as we can to bring everything up to her room. I'll get Michonne to help me lay everything out."

"What about Carol?"

As much as I wanted to exclude her I knew I couldn't. Maybe this would help her see I'm a decent person. "Okay, Carol, too. So you find us some more muscle and I'll handle Maggie and the girls."

It was a good thing that Maggie was moving slowly these days as she was almost out the door to see what was going on. "Hey, Maggie. Why don't you come right into your office?"

"I'm fine. I want to see what you and Daryl found. More furniture?" I thought it was cute how she always absently rubbed her belly.

"Not going to happen." She looked at me in surprise as I steered her away from the door and into her office. "Here's the plan. You need to stay here. No questions asked."

"But…"

"Nope. No questions. Give us an hour, maybe a little bit more, okay?" I could see she didn't want to do it. This was her community and she wanted to know what was going on, but not today. Today she needed to stay in the dark for just a little bit. "It'll be worth your while, I promise that."

"Fine, but I can't guarantee my bladder will last that long. The baby is sitting right on it."

That was a legitimate reason. "Okay, just holler for me or Carol if you need to go."

Maggie settled herself into a soft chair. "I will, now go and do whatever you are hiding from me."

I flashed her a smile and closed her office doors behind me. "Carol? Michonne?" I yelled.

Carol poked her head out of the dining room and Michonne was coming down the stairs. "What up?" Carol asked.

"I need your help and anyone you can to help us. Daryl is getting us guys. We have an overloaded car full of baby supplies for Maggie and it's a surprise. I want to get everything set up in her room before she sees it. She's promised me to stay in the office unless she needs to pee. Then she will call for one of us. I have a lot of work to do in a limited time, will you help us?"

"Oh my God, of course," Carol replied. "This is going to be so much fun."

"Where's everything you guys got? Did you get a crib? Please tell me you found one?" Michonne begged.

"We have two, plus a ton of other stuff. We wiped out a baby store."

The sound of heavy footsteps had us all turning to the open front door. Daryl and Rick carried the changing table that doubled as a dresser and they had a bunch of guys behind them loaded down with stuff from the car. "Upstairs to her room," I said to Daryl.

"Follow me," Michonne told the guys.

Carol and I let them put everything down and head back out before we ran up the stairs to join Michonne. "Wow," was all Carol could say.

"This looks like most of the bigger stuff. We have bags and bags of clothes, toys, and anything else we could grab. Clothes we grabbed was for all sizes and both boys and girls. I told Maggie an hour, let's just make it look nice instead of handing her bags. Is that okay?"

"No problem," both Carol and Michonne answered at the same time.

That's when the three of us got to work and as the guys brought up the overflowing bags, we went through them as fast as we could. It took a little over an hour, but we did it. Maggie's bedroom was crazy full of more baby stuff than any of us imagined. I was so happy that we'd been able to accomplish this for her.

Daryl, Rick, and Aaron had helped us at the end. Everyone had smiles on their faces. It was so rewarding to be able to do this for someone in a time where death and destruction were so prevalent. "Go get her," Daryl told me. "Time to get this done."

I ran down the stairs and stopped outside the office door taking a deep breath. I push it open and first thing Maggie said was "bathroom…now."

Once we got that taken care of, we slowly climbed the beautiful curved staircase and headed for her room. "What have you all been up to? I hope you didn't go on a furniture run and give it all to me because that's not going to…" Maggie never finished what she was saying as she walked into the room with wide eyes. "Oh my Lord…what…where…how did you do this?"

The tears I started seeing made my day. She was overcome. While I had only met her a few days ago, I could tell she was an awesome person, plus Daryl considered her family. His family was mine.

I saw her turn to Daryl. "You did this for me? You were gone for two days finding this stuff?"

He nodded his head at me. "It was all Angel's idea. I was just the muscle."

Maggie turned her tear-filled eyes toward me, taking my hand in hers. "I am overwhelmed. I didn't want to make a big deal about finding stuff for the baby, but now that the little one is almost here, I was getting worried. Thank you for doing this for me. I can't wait to look through everything."

"I'm glad that we were able to find baby stuff. It took us four stores to find one intact. This is pretty much everything they had at Tiny Tots in Dover. You have boy and girl clothes and all sizes. I wasn't sure what you were having, but maybe someone will need the other stuff at some time." I was thrilled that Maggie was so happy, but then Carol had to go an open her mouth.

"Could be you and Daryl next," she said trying to be cute.

There went my happy mood. I knew the expression on my face wasn't a good one, but I couldn't help it. "No, it won't," I said trying to contain the anger I felt. Why was she trying to make me admit something that was mine and Daryl's personal business?

"You never know!" That's when I knew I would never be friends with her.

"Yes, I do know. I can't have kids, Carol." Then I turned and walked out of the room. By the time I got to the front door I was running and could barely see because of the tears. I flew through the door throwing myself on our bed sobbing. I hadn't even been in the trailer for a minute when Daryl came running in behind me. I was lying on my side facing the wall and he immediately lay down behind me and pulled me back against him. He didn't say a word but just held me.

Finally, when I stopped crying and had myself under control again, I turned in his arms snuggling my head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," he told me. "She was outta line."

"I shouldn't have gotten so upset. I thought I had put that behind me." I really did think that, but with Daryl, it had me thinking and wishing certain aspects of my life could be different. I had been wondering what it would have been like to be with him if our lives were normal. If we didn't have to worry about staying alive all the time. Would we last until the end? And by that I meant staying alive together, I knew our love would always stay strong. I never doubted that.

But most of all I had been imagining what having a child with him would have been like. He knew I couldn't have kids since we talked about it in the beginning when we changed from friends to something much more. We had never talked about it since. There wasn't any reason to, but seeing Maggie pregnant had me wondering what it would be like to have had Daryl's baby. It was something would never know and that made me sad. Carol brought all that to the surface and it ended up being more than I could handle.

"Carol didn't mean any harm, but she shoulda stopped pushin' you. I like us not havin' to worry about you getting' pregnant since I doubt we could keep enough rubbers on hand as much as we go at it, but are you're wonderin' what if would be like if we did have a kid?" It was like he could read my mind.

"I would be afraid of having a baby now in this world. It amazes me that Rick was able to keep Judith alive. Seeing Maggie pregnant and finding all those baby clothes that she needed, reminded me that I would never be able to do that. Even if everything flipped back to normal, we still wouldn't be able to have kids." I looked up into his blue eyes and said, "I would love to have your baby, Daryl."

I watched his face soften at my words. He rubbed the pad of his callused thumb on my cheek. "I never wanted kids," he admitted. "I grew up in a really bad place. Everything was filled with hate. I didn't know what we have even existed. Never wanted nobody, you know that. Now everything has changed and if times were different, yeah maybe we coulda done that. You make me think of shit that I never considered before. But if I ever had a kid, I'd want you to be the mom."

And I started crying again. I mourned what couldn't be while loving the man that held me. His words touched me in more ways than I could count. I was so damn lucky.

We both ended up falling asleep even though it was only mid-afternoon. I had exhausted myself emotionally from the stress of the last two days and Daryl hadn't slept at all last night, so we both easily drifted off for a couple of hours.

The sun was starting to set as I made my way back from the bathrooms back to the trailer. I saw Maggie walking across the yard toward me. "Got a second?" she asked.

"Of course and I'm sorry about earlier. It's just a sensitive topic for me." Maggie was one of those people that anyone could talk easily to. She was the type of person that you always wanted for a friend. I hoped her to become one of mine because right now my only friend was Daryl. As much as I loved him, sometimes you just needed a girlfriend to talk to and I had none.

"Oh no, don't you apologize to me at all. Carol shouldn't have said anything. I know she didn't mean any harm, but also you and Daryl haven't been together that long, to begin with, right?" Maggie said trying to soothe my hurt feelings.

I rolled my eyes a bit. "I think she was referring to the fact that we have a very active sex life and that much sex could lead to kids. But how much we have is none of her business."

Maggie gestured to a nearby picnic table. "Can we sit?"

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize. My back's been very achy lately."

I was dying to know how she liked everything. Carol had ruined that for me. "So, is everything okay with what we got?"

That got me a huge smile from her. "Everything is perfect. You are my favorite person for thinking of me. Everyone else was busy with finding food and medical supplies, that I didn't want to ask them to look for baby items."

"You shouldn't have to ask, Maggie."

"Maybe not, but you and Daryl came through for me and the baby. Thank you again for that. But can I ask you one thing?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Will you be okay with the baby? He or she is coming no matter what, but I don't want you to feel sad about it." It was unbelievable that she was worried about me. I so needed this woman as my friend.

"Maggie, I will be fine. I love kids so count on me wanting to babysit whenever I can, but I'm okay. Daryl and I talked about this early on. Neither of us wants to bring a child into this world now, it wouldn't be right for us, so even if I was fine, I wouldn't be looking to have a child. And as you said, we've only been together a few months, but I'm closer to him than any other man I ever was with." He was my life.

She put her hand on my arm. "Jessie, is it too personal to ask why you can't have a child?"

It was, but I wanted to tell her. Someone besides Daryl needed to understand me. "It's pretty simple. I was born with only one ovary, which I didn't find out until I developed a pain that wouldn't go away. They did an ultrasound and found I only had one on the right side and that had a big cyst on it. It had to be removed, so I can't conceive. It actually works out fine for Daryl and me. We would have run out of condoms a long time ago and I most likely would be pregnant. We just can't keep our hands off each other." Hell, that was probably more than she wanted to hear but it was the truth.

I watched Maggie glance briefly up at the sky. "My husband, Glenn knew Daryl from the start just like Rick and Carol. I got to know them all a few months after that when they arrived at our farm after Carl had been shot. You know that story, right?"

"Daryl and I had a lot of long nights together so we talked a lot. He's told me everything."

"See, that's a change right there. Daryl tends to talk only when he has something to say. He's quiet."

"Not with me."

"No," Maggie laughed. "From what I hear you two are not quiet."

I laughed with her. "No, I'm, not. I can't help it. He's just too good."

"Daryl? Our Daryl? The guy that never showed interest in any female for the entire time I knew him?"

I got up from sitting down at the table. "That Daryl is crazy awesome in bed." I winked at her and headed back to the trailer. I could hear her laughing all to the door.

Daryl was gone when I got back. I tidied up the bed but didn't have much to do after that. There was no way I was going to go looking for him like a lost puppy, so I grabbed a book that I had found in the trailer and sat on the steps. It was a hot day, but the humidity was down a bit. I had no idea how long I was reading when I heard footsteps approaching. I looked up and saw Carol standing there looking at me.

Great.

"Can I talk to you a minute?" she asked.

I had no desire to talk to her, but I would try for Daryl. "What is it, Carol?"

"I'm sorry about today. I was just teasing you and I must have hit a nerve."

"Yeah, you did and that happened the other night, too. I don't know why you are constantly talking about Daryl and me." Okay, I could have been nicer, but frankly, I didn't really care.

The smile on her face vanished. "Daryl and I have been friends since the very beginning. He comes back from the dead not only alive but toting a 'girlfriend' with him. Something he never showed interest in before. Of course, I'm curious about you."

"More than curious I think. Maybe jealous?"

Carol rolled her eyes at. "Oh please, if I wanted him I had plenty of time to get him. We're friends that's it."

"Then respect him. His life with me is private and is no one's business. Why he wants to be with me or us having a baby or not is none of your concern. Got that?" I don't know why this woman made me feel so angry. As mean I was being to her, was actually toned down from what I felt. Something told me that if we could reverse roles, she'd be with Daryl in an instant.

"You're a bitch. I come over here to apologize and try and be friends, and all I get is attitude. God, knows what he sees in you!"

"First, I have no need of friend's like you. You and Daryl are friends, that's fine, but don't count me in that category. Second, I'm the only person who understands him, you may think you do, but not like I do. I may not have known him that long, but I get him, just like he gets me. And he's very attracted to me and not anyone else." Yeah, I was a royal bitch.

Carol flipped me the bird and stormed off. I knew I had just made an enemy, but I didn't care. I wish Daryl and I could just pack up and leave. We were fine on our own before and we could easily do it again. But for now we'd stay put, I liked some of the others – Rick, Michonne, and Maggie. Didn't have much contact with the rest to make a decision about them, but I would in time. Daryl will probably be mad at me when he finds out about this little chat. I was interested to know how long it would take Carol to go running to him. I was betting on pretty damn quick.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

 **Daryl**

I was about to head out of the mansion when I heard a lot of noise coming from the kitchen. Pots were being banged down and cabinets were slammed closed. My curiosity got the better of me so I headed there and leaned against the doorframe. Carol was in rare form. She grabbed some carrots off the counter and was chopping them so violently I thought she was gonna take off a finger too.

"What's up?" I asked.

Her eyes were angry as she looked up at me. "We have a problem," she stated as she pointed her knife at me. "You need to have a talk with that girlfriend of yours."

Shit. I shoulda just kept on heading out. I wasn't in the mood to deal with this bullshit.

"What happened now?" What was it with her and Angel?

Carol proceeded to tell me that she went to apologized to Angel for upsetting her and Angel threw it back in her face. The whole time she's accentuating her words with the knife. These two were like oil and water. "Put the fuckin' knife down. If you point it at me again, you better plan on usin' it. You pissed her of talkin' about us that first night. You ain't got a right to do that. Don't question why I'm with her, I just am. You hit a big nerve today. Angel can't have kids and don't you fuckin' ever tell her I told you that. Got it?"

"Fine. She thinks that I'm jealous of her, which is so not true. We've always been friends and I just am concerned about you. That's all. It's never been more than that."

"I seem to remember that first night at the prison you asking me to 'screw' around." Did she forget that?

She laughed at me. "I was only kidding. Geez. You're like a brother to me."

That's what she says, but I remember the look she gave me that night and that wasn't too brotherly. I never saw her as anything but a friend...a good friend, but nuthin' more. The second I laid my eyes on Angel, I knew otherwise. I never wanted a woman like I wanted her. And that ain't gone away a bit.

"Yeah, well Angel knows about that. Fuck, she knows everything about me. Shit that no one else knows, even you. You two don't have to be best friends, but you gotta get along." The frown on Carol's face told me she didn't agree. "Listen, Carol, she saved me when I was ready to die. Not only was I bleeding out, I was ready to give up. I had it with everything. Thinking you all were dead all those months had me living a life I didn't want. She changed that and me. We're a package deal, so I need you to be nice to her."

"Daryl, I tried and she threw it in my face. Why am I the wrong one here and not her?" Carol was wrong, but Angel I don't think helped the situation either.

"Angel…I mean Jessie didn't start this. You did, but I will talk to her. I need you two to get along. This mess is fuckin' stupid. I'll try to get her to forgive you, and you need to watch your mouth. Okay?"

"Fine. But I did try. She didn't." Carol always had to get the last word. Damn annoying.

I gave her one of my looks. They used to scare people, but lately, it does shit. Carol walked around the counter and put a hand on my arm. "Daryl, I've known you for a very long time. I don't want her to come between us. I will try, but Jessie needs to too. You're different now. I'm still trying to get used to it."

"Only thing different about me is I got a reason to live now. I lost that for a long time. Jessie's a good person, but she won't take shit from anyone. She was on her own, too just like me. She's in my life and she's not going anywhere." I couldn't help but smile at Carol. "I got me a girlfriend."

"Get out of here," Carol laughed as she gave me a push toward the door. "I don't know who you are, but you're not the Daryl I used to know."

I was still smiling as I bounded down the mansions front steps heading off to find Angel. She had been too hard on Carol and that wasn't fair. I needed them to find a way to exist together. As I got closer to our trailer I saw her sitting on a picnic table talking to Michonne, so I headed over there.

"You and Rick done?" Michonne asked.

"Yep." We had been looking at area maps to decide on routes for runs. Going over plans to make this place better, but it wasn't just us two, Maggie was there too.

"Catch you guys at dinner?"

I nodded my head yes and she headed back to Barrington House. I then made myself comfortable next to Angel on the table. "I don't want to go to dinner with everyone. Can you find a grill or make us a grill so we can heat our own food?" she asked.

"We're going to dinner tonight. We don't have to go every night and getting a grill is a good idea, but we're not going to hide from everyone because you and Carol can't get along. What happened today?"

"Are you siding with her?"

I took a deep breath. "No, I'm siding with no one until I hear your version."

Angel rubbed her palms on her jeans. I knew she did that when she was nervous. "Bet she went running to you bitching about me."

"What the hell has gotten into you?" I asked her. "This is bullshit and you know it. She didn't come running to me, I could tell something was wrong when I went into the kitchen and she told me. Now you tell me. Please."

I knew the please would get to her. It wasn't a word I used often and she knew it. "Well, she did come over to the trailer and said that she was sorry for upsetting me. I told her if she'd just stop talking about you and me that would solve everything. Then she said she was curious about me because you never showed interest in anyone before. Which I get, but I hate women who talk behind others backs. She should have waited to get to know me, instead of talking to Michonne and Rosita. I got a gut feeling that she's jealous."

"Yeah, she mentioned that." I lit up a cigarette. I may even need two.

"It could be because you have barely seen her since you got back or it could be she wants to be me, but it's there. I know it. She denied it. Either way, I told her she needs to respect you and us being together. How we live our lives is our business, not hers. Oh, and yeah she pissed me off so I was being the bitch she called me." Angel was still pissed, I could tell. She's gotten mad at me before, but this was different with Carol.

"Listen, we gotta get past this shit. She tried to apologize, right?" Angel slowly nodded her head. "And you basically threw it back at her. I need you to give her a chance, Angel. All these people are important to me and I want them to accept you, so you can't go around being a bitch." Her eyes flared at me and I saw her fists clench. "Get off it. You already admitted that you were a bitch to her. They gotta get used to me having you and you need to get used to the fact it ain't just us anymore. Of course, they are going to wonder 'bout you. Took me fuckin' years to find a girl that would put up with me. They wanna know what type of weird-ass chick you are."

That got a chuckle out of her. Thank-fucking-God.

"I'm a freaky weird-ass chick that none of them could handle."

"That's fuckin' for sure," I agreed. "C'mon."

"Where?"

I stood up and held out my hand. "It's time to get freaky. You owe me after all this shit."

Angel got up from sitting on the table and stood real close to me. I looked down into those incredible eyes of hers. "How freaky do you wanna get?"

"I'll leave it up to you, but nuthin' that'll get us kicked out. 'kay?" I may regret this. I knew Angel had stuff she was holding back with me. God knows where this could end up.

She took my hand and we headed back to the trailer. "Daryl, it's not like I'm into animals or I'm asking for a threesome. And I haven't heard you complain at all so far, so how bad do you think I am?"

"Bad enough that if you keep screaming like you do, we may end up in one of those piece of shit broken trailers so we aren't bothering people. Got it?" Rick had mentioned a few complaints. Couldn't tell if he was pissed or jealous, but I was betting on the latter.

"Alright, I'll try to keep it down. I think their just bitter because they wish they were having the great sex that we have." Angel stopped me with a hand on my chest. "Do we have any rope?" she purred.

Oh shit. "Umm, in the SUV we should still have some."

"Get it, cause we're gonna need it. You go and I'll be getting naked." She accentuated her words with a deep drawn out kiss that left me standing in the middle of the yard with a huge boner. It was totally noticeable. Lucky for me, I carried the crossbow everywhere I went and I used that to hide my damn dick.

I grabbed the rope from the car and headed back to the trailer. It had only been a few minutes, but by the time I closed the door behind me, Angel was already naked and playing with herself on the sofa. She was spread so that I could see everything.

God damn.

Rope got dropped as did the crossbow. I pulled my shirt over my head and it landed somewhere on the floor. The whole time I was untying my boots my eyes were locked on her and her hand. Boots dropped down and I quickly kicked my pants off. I was between her legs faster than my bolt could kill. Angel could make me harder and hotter than any woman on earth.

My mouth replaced her hand. This was something that I never imaged doing before Angel. Never had the desire or the need to. My "all-about-me" sex life had suited me just fine. Didn't care much about the chick since she was only a means to an end. Didn't care whether I was blowing my load in a mouth or a pussy as long as I was able to cum, it didn't matter.

With Angel, it was completely different. Me getting her off was pretty fuckin' awesome. Never thought it would be, but it is. Now she's got her knees pulled up to her giving me wide open access to her pussy. My tongue replaces her fingers she's already moaning loudly. I've learned what she likes these last few months and my tongue on her clit was definitely in the top three.

I flicked it over her overly sensitive nub several times before sucking on it. Angel was already starting with the non-stop "Oh God's." I pushed two fingers into her that had her crying out. Between my fingers hitting that spot inside her, and my mouth owning her clit, Angel was already bucking as her first orgasm hit her and practically screaming my name.

Rick was so going to ask us to move. Damn it.

Her feet were now back on the floor and my head was resting on her thigh as she recovered. It usually didn't take long before she was ready to go again. This woman could come more times than I ever thought possible.

"Lord, you are so good at that," she moaned. I felt her fingers weaving through my hair. It was odd how much I enjoyed and craved her touch. In the past, I never wanted anyone to touch me. Long after I left home, a hand on me had me flinching and moving away. Couldn't help it. My old man messed me up good, but it was being with the group that showed me there were good people out there. People that could consider me family and show me the love didn't have to hurt. Carol did help me a lot with that. She's a damn hugger.

Angel took that even further. Even now her hand in my hair makes me crazy. I want her hands on me all the time and for me, that is fucked up. I even touch her when others are around, even it's just a hand on her shoulder, that was something that I never used to do.

When we lived alone, I constantly had my hands on her – arm, shoulder, hair or tit. I needed to feel her in my hands and that hasn't changed. It's just that now we got people around us and I can't reach under her shirt to tweak a nipple whenever I want.

"Now that I have the edge off, it's time to have some fun," Angel said with a devious look in her eyes.

Wait a second. "You telling me that wasn't fun?" I growled at her.

"I love it when you talk to me like that."

I was so confused. "What are you talking about?" I was still kneeling on the floor, but Angel had sat up and she was sidetracking me since her tits were practically in my face.

"Babe, you have the best throaty, gravelly voice. When you get mad or frustrated is gets deeper and more forceful." Then she whispered in my ear, "That gets me wet."

And she sure knew how to get me hard.

Angel reached down and grabbed my throbbing dick. "What I meant was, now it's your time to have fun. I want you on your back on the bed. I'll get the rope."

I had an idea of what she wanted to do with that rope. I hadn't ever done anything like that before, but anything we did always ended up pretty fuckin' awesome, so I was willing to give anything she wanted a try. The bed creaked as I sat down on it. I had gotten used to being naked around her. In the beginning, it was weird with her seeing me all the time with my ass hanging out and my dick flopping around, but now it was normal. In fact, if I was naked she usually was too and that meant that my dick was usually standing up and not flopping.

She was still fiddling with the rope as I stretched out on the bed. I closed my eyes as I waited for her. What I didn't expect was to suddenly feel her soft mouth sliding down my hard-on. What happened to the rope? But hell, I wasn't complaining. Angel gave head better than anyone.

Unfortunately, it stopped too soon. "What no more?" Damn that came out really needy. C'mon Dixon, man up.

"Patience, Babe. Gotta get you ready first. "

Angel took one of the pieces of rope and fit my right hand into a loop and tied it to the metal headboard. Then she did the same with the left. There wasn't a footboard so she tied my feet somewhere under the bed. She was thorough and quick, so I wondered how long she had been planning this.

I was weird being held down this way. I pulled on the ropes and realized she had tied some pretty decent knots. My eyes found hers and neither of us said anything. Angel was standing next to the bed totally naked unraveling her hair from the bun she had it in. Seeing her nipple poking out from her unbelievably long black hair had me struggling against the ropes to taste it.

"Easy, Babe. You'll get all of this when I'm ready, but for now, just relax and let me play."

Play? Did she not know how bad I fuckin' wanted her right then? I wanted to do more than play.

Angel took her hand and after touching the top of my foot, she let her fingers slowly glide up my leg. When she got to my bare hip, her gentle caress came near my hard cock, causing it to jump, but she never touched it. Then with a little harder pressure, she moved up my chest with both of her hands stopping at my nipples and rolling them between her fingers. Never thought that could feel as good as it does.

Every place her hands touch it feels like fire flowing through me. I struggled again with the ropes causing Angel to place a finger to my lips quieting me down. She then straddles my body so she's sitting on my dick, but it's not in her. So fuckin' close to being inside of her, but she ain't ready for that yet. Damn her.

Angel's lips press down on mine, lightly at first, but that quickly changes to a deeper kiss as our mouths open and our tongues battle for control. I let her win. I had to. And once I gave her the victory, her kisses moved from my lips to my chin, my eyes and anywhere and everywhere on my face.

The fire I was feeling in my body flared higher with every kiss. Angel bit the side of my neck and I knew would leave a mark, but I didn't give a shit. My hands clenched into fists as I once again tugged at the rope that held me bound to the bed. This was frustrating yet I knew I'd want her to do this again. Apparently, her freaky side matched one that I didn't even know I had.

Angel bit her way down my shoulder sliding her bare pussy along my dick that was trapped under her. Her bites continued as they made their way across my body until she stopped at a nipple. I felt her rolling it between her teeth a couple of times, before sucking on it strongly. Damn, this girl could do things to me that I never thought possible.

"Ah, fuck," I groaned.

Angel simply looked up at me and smiled the sexiest damn smile I had ever seen in my life. "Girl, you're fuckin' killing me."

She didn't answer me but simply moved to the other nipple torturing me even more. I wrapped my fingers around the rope and tried pulling on it one more time, but it never gave. This game we were playing had me frustrated, but dying for more at the same time. I wanted to touch her so badly, but couldn't. I wanted that goddamn perfect tit either in my hand or my mouth, but instead, she was doing it to me.

This wasn't the first time she had done this and I knew sure as shit, it wouldn't be the last. We were both enjoying her mouth on me too much.

"So, you're enjoying this?" she finally asked as she started to kiss her way now down my chest to my stomach.

"Fuck, yeah. But it's got me wanting more than kisses." That's when she started biting me again. "Biting me the best you got, girl?"

That earned me a chuckle and a harder bite. That last one was definitely going to leave a bruise.

As Angel moved lower on me, I felt her tits slide down my body and finally over my dick. I knew Angel's mouth was close to it, but she was touching everything but it. Her hands were all over the place on my hips, stomach, legs, and god-fucking-damn even now my balls, but she wasn't touching my motherfucking dick.

"Angel!" I growled.

"Patience, Babe. Patience."

I looked down at her before dropping my head back onto the pillow. "Fuck that! Just swallow the damn thing!"

"No. My game. My rules and now you have to wait. Watch me."

I hated rules. I hated doing what people told me to do, especially when I didn't agree. But I loved Angel and this damn game she had us playing, so I raised my head and looked down at her.

Angel was sitting on my thigh now and when our eyes locked she started rubbing her wet pussy on my leg. Then her hands cupped her tits and she started playing with them. I couldn't take my eyes off of what she was doing.

I had learned fairly early on that Angel had no problem touching herself with me watching. Sometimes I even caught her doing that when she thought I wasn't even around. I never met a girl that wanted and needed sex as much as she did. I'd watch her get herself off and by that time if I hadn't started off naked, I already was. That way I could slam into her as she was still coming.

This was different. I had no control at all. My dick was twitching non-stop as I watched her move one hand from tugging on a nipple to between her legs. While some fingers tugged and twisted her nipple, with the other hand Angel kept rubbing her clit. And rubbing. And rubbing until she was shaking as she came on my leg.

The look of satisfaction on her face was priceless, while she had me so horny that I was getting ready to chew through the ropes.

"Awe, that felt good," Angel sighed.

"Fuck you!" I snarled at her. This teasing me was starting to drive me to irrational thoughts. There was no way I was going to pull a Merle, but I need my hands-free and Angel tied some kickass knots, so I wasn't going anywhere. Fuck! Fuck! And another Fuck!

"Oh, Baby. I'm not going to forget you. When have I ever done that? Just needed to take the edge off." She needed to take the edge off…again? I was ready to rip to this place to shreds. I was so hard my dick was aching me something awful.

"Oh, that look tells me that you aren't happy. Baby, are you jealous that I got off and you didn't?" My answer was just to growl deep in my throat. I didn't trust myself to say anything. It wasn't that I was mad, I was frustrated, horny as hell and needed to come do fuckin' bad and she hadn't even touched my dick yet. I hated this and loved it at the same time.

"Is this better?" she asked as she finally gripped my aching cock. She was doing long, strong strokes with her hand. I needed this. I never wanted someone to touch my dick as bad I as I need her to. It felt so damn good, but it also wasn't enough.

"Better, "I groaned. "But not enough."

"Not enough?" she laughed. "You're pretty demanding for a guy who's at my mercy. I could leave you tied up the rest of the day and just come over and tease you every now and then. Would you like that?"

"Fuck you, Angel!" The sad thing was, I could easily see her doing that. She was having way too much fun with me.

She leaned over and licked the head of my dick. I had to close my eyes as that one little move by her caused my world to almost explode. "We'll get to the fucking soon enough, but for now I want to suck on you. Feel you so deep down in my throat as you shoot your cum in me. Then we'll get to the fucking."

There was no way I could respond to her. I wanted what she wanted. I loved that she could say shit like that to me because I couldn't really say it back. I wasn't comfortable with that aspect of our crazy sex life yet. But it was getting easier.

Angel didn't even care that I never said anything, she just kept on licking around the head before plunging her mouth down my shaft. She pushed herself further and further until I was all the way in her mouth and down that throat of hers. No one ever got me in that far but Angel.

This was no slow making me suffer blowjob. Everything else today was torture but not this. The third time she got me in deep I knew I wasn't going to last and she knew it too. Angel had one hand on my stomach, the other was rolling my balls, and she had swallowed me whole. That's when I couldn't handle anymore and my entire body tightened up as I came in her mouth. Angel didn't miss a drop. She rarely did.

But there was no rest for my tormented body. I barely had a chance to go soft before she quickly climbed on me and pushed me inside of her. "Now you can fuck me, Daryl," Angel said as she moved her hips back and forth so I was moving in and out of her. "Fuck me long and hard!"

I only had my body to work with since I was still tied to this motherfucking bed. I was lucky that even though I wasn't a young horny kid anymore, that being an older horny bastard I could still stay pretty firm after I came. That's why we could fuck like this for a long time all the time. I was watching her bounce up and down on me as her tits did the same.

By the time she spun around on me, I was back to being rock hard. I loved how she could change positions and me not come out of her. Being as big as I was helped us do shit like this. I would stay inside of her forever if I could. It just felt too fuckin' good.

Angel turned back around so I could see her again. I could see in her eyes that she was almost ready to come again and strong. With as often as we had sex, I knew her pretty well, but she knew me better. I would never have tried something like this before. No fuckin' way, but I trusted her enough to do this at least once. That wasn't going to be enough. I wasn't going to let her take this any further than we had, but yeah as long as I could do this to her, I'd let her tie me up again. Man, we are two fucked up idiots.

I wanted to grab her hips and slam her down on my dick, but all I did was give myself some nice rope burns on my wrists from struggling with it. Angel was so wet that I could feel it all over me. Her inner muscles kept squeezing me until she came down closer to me. We were both practically panting as we struggled to breathe. The trailer was hot, so we were covered in sweat as she rode me non-stop.

Her fingers moved to her clit and that little move was enough to send her body bucking on top of mine. So I just let it go since I had been trying to hold back coming until she was ready. I loved coming with her. I no longer wanted it to be all about me. I got off harder knowing she was also getting off to me. Now, she was shuddering on top of me as I felt my body shoot the lightning bolts it felt into her.

Angel eventually collapsed on top of me. My wrists hurt, I couldn't catch my breath, but this was a fuckin' crazy thing we did that I wanted to try again…and again.

She was the first one to speak. "Holy shit."

"Yeah. You can say that again."

"Holy shit," she giggled.

"Funny. How about untying me?"

Angel sat up and traced my lips with her finger. "What if I like you this way?"

"Angel...please. This was good, really good but my wrists hurt. Let me loose, girl."

She popped a quick kiss on me and got up to grab a knife. She carefully slit one hand free then the other, before doing the same with my feet. I sat up on the edge of the bed and cut the knots off so that my hands and feet were completely free. Angel sat next to me and brought one of my wrists closer to her.

"Daryl, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize I tied it that tight. Look at the marks on you. God, I feel like a stupid bitch." The concern in her eyes was clearly evident, but the rope burns were not totally her fault.

"Naw, the rope was fine. This was from me trying to get loose because you were driving me fuckin' insane. I'm fine. Been through worse, Angel much worse." Sad thing was she knew that was true.

"You sure?"

I kissed her on the side of her head." Yeah, I'm fine." I stood up to stretch my muscles since they were restricted for a couple of hours. That's when there was a knock at the door. "Just a minute," I told them.

I looked around and saw a pile of clothes. "Shit, I need pants. Help me find them, Angel."

We both dressed quickly and I was still buttoning my shirt when I opened the door. "Sorry, man. What's up?"

Rick knew exactly what we had been up to by the smile on his face. "Looks like you forgot we were doing that weapons inventory this afternoon?"

Fuck. "Yep, sure did. I got a little…ahh, tied up this afternoon. Sorry, bro." It was the truth.

And Rick picked up on that right away. "Nice wrists. Jessie, don't tie it that tight next time, okay?" he laughed.

That's when I realized I was absently rubbing them and that gave me away. The red marks were as clear as day.

"It was his fault, Rick. Maybe we'll use silk ties next time. Can you guys grab some on your next run," she said from inside the trailer.

All I could do was close my eyes in embarrassment. Now my best friend knew without a doubt I let my kinky girlfriend tie me up. I will never live this down, so I did the only thing I could. I went with it. "Good idea, Angel. It's your turn next and I don't want to hurt you. Should have taken some from the house. That asshole had plenty."

"Man, you two are fucking weird," Rick said shaking his head. "Coming to dinner tonight?"

Angel poked her head out the door. "As long as Carol doesn't poison my food we'll be there. Kinda worked up an appetite." I saw her wink at Rick before turning back inside.

He looked at me with raised eyebrows. "Do I want to know about Carol?"

I couldn't help but chuckle. "No, man you don't. We'll see you up at the house. And bro, sorry about today."

"Don't worry, man. I would have blown me off too. See ya in a bit." Rick headed back to the mansion and I left the door open. The trailer needed airing out. It smelled like sex and sweat, plus it was really hot in here. Angel's back was to me as she was straightening up the bed. I stared at her wondering again how I got so lucky with her. A girl like her could have anyone she wanted, but for some reason, she wanted my old sorry ass. Still was hard to believe.

I knew I was different when I came back. Even before our lives got so complicated with Negan trying to destroy us, I always felt alone. I knew I had this new family I could rely on, but all in all, I was still by myself. I was used to it, so I never imagined life another way. Now I wasn't alone no more and I didn't just like it, I lived for it. Angel was mine forever. I couldn't imagine going back to living the way I did before if anything ever happened to her. But that was the problem I refused to acknowledge. This world we lived in, death was an everyday occurrence. Nothing was a guarantee, but I couldn't bring myself to think about it. Losing her was never going to be an option. Never.

"You okay?" she asked placing a warm hand on my arm.

"I love you," I told her out of the blue.

"Ah, babe, I love you, too. Ready to head up?"

"Yeah. Watch but for knives around Carol. Okay?"

Angel laughed at me as we headed up to the mansion. Not sure she realized I was serious, Carol was deadly with a knife.

I spent the rest of the walk up trying to come up with a good reason for the marks on my wrist. By the time we were walking inside I still had nothing. Man, I was screwed.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter Thirty- Five**

 **Angel**

"Where are we going?" I asked Daryl as he pulled me toward the kitchen. My idea was to eat and run. Heading into the viper's nest was not part of the plan.

"Gonna get this settled between you two. I'm not gonna deal with this bullshit," Daryl told me as we headed to the back of the mansion.

I hated to admit he was right, but he was. My insecurity here at The Hilltop had me lashing out at Carol. Now, she wasn't an innocent here either. Talking about us and questioning why he was with me was none of her business, but she had tried to apologize and I threw that back at her. Damn, I hated when I was wrong.

Barrington House had had no electricity, but the kitchen had gas appliances. Teams were always on the lookout for propane tanks. Anyone was allowed to cook on the stove or bake in the oven as long as they cleaned up after themselves. Carol did the majority of the cooking for the family and since it was dinner time, she most likely was in the kitchen. It was time to eat crow.

"Carol, you in here?" Daryl yelled.

"Yes," she replied coming out of the pantry. "So there's no need to yell. Oh, what's going on?" Seems she was just as surprised to see me as I was her.

"You two," Daryl said pointing at each one of us. "Need to work this shit out. You both got off on the wrong foot, so fix it. Carol…" he said looking at her. "If you got anything you want to know, ask me, don't go asking others about me and Angel...I mean Jessie. We're together and that ain't changing. She can be a pain in the ass, but she's my pain in the ass. So deal with it." Daryl took a deep breath and turned to me. "Angel, Carol's been a friend since the start. She and I go all the way back to the beginning. Respect that. Talk it out, cause this mess is bullshit."

I watched Daryl walk out of the room. "I'm not a pain in the ass!" I yelled after him.

"Yeah, you are," he hollered back.

Carol and I both looked at each other and started laughing. "Guess he told us," she said.

"Yes, he did. God, I hate him." I saw the shocked look on Carol's face. "I meant that I hate that he's right. I was a bitch to you and I'm sorry. It's just so weird being here," I admitted.

"How so?" Carol asked.

I sat down on a stool at the counter. "I had been on my own for a long time before I found Daryl. I was better off that way. Trusting people only got me hurt. But he was different, yet so much like me too. We got to know each other and became friends…then it became more. I knew I could trust him better than anyone else I had ever known. He's just that type of guy. Then it was just us for months and it worked, but I always knew he missed you guys. In the dark of the night, I could get him to talk about everyone. He told me everything from the very start at the quarry to the night Alexandria was attacked. The loss of you all almost killed him. I had no one to lose, except myself, but I always knew he missed everyone. When we found Rick and Michonne, I immediately knew everything was about to change. I wanted to beg him to let us stay at the house we had found, that we didn't need his friends…his family, but he did. I knew it. So I came here where I am an outsider. I haven't figured out yet where I fit in here, so Daryl is all I have. I should have let you apologized, Carol and I was wrong not to. I handled that very badly and I'm sorry."

I really was. I was surprised that I poured out all of my insecurities to a woman I hated a little while ago. I hadn't even told Daryl how I felt.

"And I know better than to gossip about anyone here. But I was so curious about you, I will fully admit that. Daryl hadn't shown a romantic interest in anyone in the years I've known him. Not even a racy comment. Nothing. Then everything went so crazy when the Saviors attacked. I had left the Kingdom where I was living that day to go to Alexandria to see everyone, but with a detour, I had to make I never made it that night. The next day I saw the smoke and knew something was wrong. I hid on the outskirts watching the Saviors until they left. Finally, I saw Rick and everyone that survived. Daryl wasn't with them and no one had seen him escape. I had always thought he was indestructible." Carol stopped for a moment. I could hear the emotion in her words. Thinking she lost Daryl was painful.

She continued, "I mourned him for a long time. Now so many months later in he walks through the gate with Rick and Michonne like he never left. Except he returned different. Not only does he have you, but he smiles and laughs. That wasn't the Daryl I knew, but it was the Daryl I had always hoped to see." Carol took my hand in hers. "You've made such a difference in him. He's happy. And again I am so sorry about the baby comment. It upset you and I didn't mean it to."

"You were joking around, I get that. And in any other situation, I would agree with you. We have a lot of sex and condoms are scarce, so me getting pregnant normally would be a good possibility. I know everyone hears us because I get too damn loud, but that's his fault," I told her with a wink. "Anyway, you couldn't have known that I can't get pregnant. I don't have any ovaries so chances are zero. I thought I had come to terms about that a long time ago, but apparently, I hadn't. You just touched a nerve and that was my problem, not yours. The crazy thing is Daryl and I talked about this and neither of us wants kids. Not in this fucked up world. So there's no reason for that to have bothered me. That was a total overreaction and I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize. I completely get it. Friends?" she asked.

I smiled at her. "Yes, friends." As we hugged I got a devious idea. "Want to play a joke on Daryl?"

"Sure, what is it?"

I kept my arm around her waist and she did the same. "Follow my lead." She nodded that she would. "Listen, you goddamn nosy bitch! Stay out of mine and Daryl's lives. We don't need your advice!"

Carol was trying not to laugh. "Oh fuck off, you manipulator! Daryl will see you for what you really are. You're just using him plain and simple. Wait until I tell him, no…no put that knife down, Jessie!"

"Nice touch" I whispered as we both heard boots running toward the kitchen. "Say your prayers you gray-haired bitch!"

Together we watched Daryl run into the kitchen ready to break up the fight. "Stop Angel! Wait! What?" He looked at us arm in arm smiling. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Just having a little fun, babe. That's all. Carol and I are besties now."

"Not funny. I was thought you were killing her!"

"No bloodshed. Not even a paper cut," laughed Carol.

Daryl growled at both of us and that made us laugh even harder. "You," he said pointing at Carol, "Should know better." Then he turned those baby blues of his to me. "And you are a pain in my ass! C'mon, we're outta here." He grabbed my hand and started pulling me out of the room.

"Where we going? I thought we were going get dinner."

He stopped so quickly that I almost ran into him. The anger in his eyes told me we may have taken our prank a little too far. "No. No food. Taking you back home to teach you a lesson."

"Awesome!" I turned and smiled at Carol. "I love being punished."

Daryl just hung his head while I stood there with a big smile on my face. Finally, he looked over to Carol. "The fucked up thing is…she does. C'mon…" he said tugging on my hand. "I gotta figure out what the hell to do with you."

"Anything and everything you want, baby, you know that." I was having fun, even though it was the truth.

"Will you just shut up!" he growled at me. He did know when he got like this, it turned me on, right?

"Oh! Gag time! You know we need new rope if you are going to tie me up." By now we were in the foyer of the mansion. Carol had followed behind. I think she was enjoying me and Daryl. Just as we were about to go out the front door I told her," We used the only rope we had today when I tied Daryl up. He really enjoyed it. Now…" I couldn't finish what I was saying as he jerked me through the doorway and threw me over his shoulder.

"Don't say one more word, Angel. Not one more fuckin' word!"

Carol was laughing so hard, I don't think she saw me wave at her. Well, we did need more rope. I was just reminding him. That's all.

The next morning I headed up to the big house finally get something to eat. No lunch or dinner yesterday made me a very hungry girl. And I was also a very sore one too. First of all, he did gag me. Took the bandana out of his back pocket, twirled it and next thing I knew I had it between my teeth and tied behind my head. Then he ripped all of my clothes off after taking off the boots. I was definitely going to need a new shirt. After he dropped his pants, the next thing I knew I was bent over the arm of the small sofa in the room and he was slamming into me over and over again. And over again. I swear it must have been an hour and I've never seen him hold off that long. He was hard with me and even though I love it that way, getting fucked that long that hard took its toll on me. When he was done, I went to get up, but he pushed me down again. I had to stay there until he told me otherwise.

This was an entirely different Daryl. I wanted to see how far he was going to take this, but I knew if I had told him it hurt too much or I really wanted him to stop, he would. But I didn't want to stop. I must have stayed in the cramped position another ten or fifteen minutes. When I stood up and stretched my aching muscles. One look at him and I knew he wasn't done with me.

He searched through his stuff for another bandana and used that to tie my hands in front of me. Not tight at all, but just telling me I wasn't to use them. By now he had removed the rest of his clothes and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Suck me," he demanded.

The rest of the night it was either me sucking him hard or him fucking me over the arm of the sofa. It was crazy and so not Daryl, but I knew I had pushed him a bit too far with the prank. And as sore as I was and as tired as I was from not sleeping, I had loved every second of it. He could punish me anytime. I had always had this slightly freaky side to me, but never found the right guy and understood it. That was until I found Daryl. I was enjoying shit I never thought I could. And so was he.

My walk up the front steps of Barrington House was slow. After Daryl left to meet up with Rick to do the inventory he had forgotten about yesterday, I snuck in a quick nap. It was just enough to take the edge off my fatigue. Now I was in search of food, which once again reminded me I needed to get Daryl to make us some sort of grill to use.

The open door to Maggie's office sidetracked me. I could use a book to read and she had plenty in there. I poked my head in and saw the room was empty, so I walked over to the bookshelves and grabbed the first one that interested me. I was reading the back cover as I walked through the foyer toward the kitchen, when I heard, "Oh, God," with a loud painful groan.

I immediately looked around and saw Maggie upstairs and bent over clutching her pregnant belly. "Maggie!" I cried the book dropped forgotten to the floor as I ran up the staircase. "What's wrong?"

"Labor pains. The baby is coming," she said through gritted teeth.

"Wait! Like now? Right now?" Baby shopping I could do, but delivering a baby? Hell, no.

She finally was able to straighten up and smiled at me, "No, not this second, but it's coming. I need Harlan."

"Who's that?" I had never heard of a Harlan.

"Dr. Carson, we need to get him." Oh, that I could do.

"No problem, where is he? I'll go get him." I wondered why no one had told me we had a doctor here.

Maggie put a hand on the railing steading herself. "He's not here. He's at the Sanctuary."

That certainly shut me up. I know I stood there with an "Oh Fuck" look on my face, but leave it to Maggie to still take charge. "Just send someone for him. He was due to come here in a few days anyway, but it looks like the baby isn't going to wait. Can you do that, Jessie?"

Of course, I could. What was wrong with me? "No problem. Let me get us some help." That's when I screamed for Carol, who came running out of her room.

"What's going on?"

"Maggie's in labor. I'm gonna leave her with you and find Daryl. We need to go get the doctor."

"Go, I got this." In the meantime, Carl had popped his head out of his room and Carol told him to go find Michonne.

I was down the stairs and out the door before the teen even had a chance to take another step. Now, where was Daryl? Inventory! I ran off toward the shed that had become the armory and burst through the doors.

"What is it?" Rick asked before Daryl even had a chance to turn around. He immediately knew something was wrong.

"Maggie's gone into labor. We need to get the doctor," I panted.

"Where is he?" Daryl asked.

Rick sighed, "The Sanctuary."

"What you didn't take him back? Why the fuck not?" Daryl heatedly asked Rick.

"Because we agreed to share him, bro. Works out best for both communities. We'll go get him, just gotta gas up a car," Rick replied.

Daryl shook his head. "We're low on gas. I'll go. My bike is almost full and it's faster."

Daryl going to the Sanctuary alone? I knew that wasn't a good idea. "Daryl, I'll go with you."

"Angel, no," he told me. "I gotta go on my bike and if I take you, how'd I get the doc back? Leaving you there ain't an option. I gotta go alone. Just let me grab my crossbow and I'm gone."

He didn't wait for either Rick or me to argue. Rick could see the concern on my face. "I know he hates, Dwight, but it'll be alright. He'll put Maggie and the baby first," Rick said trying to convince me.

Before I could say anything to him, we both heard the bike start up and ran over to where Daryl was about to leave. I threw my arms around him, trying to hold back the tears. This would be hard for him and he needed to know I had faith in him. "Babe, forget what happened there. Just get Dr. Carson and bring him back to Maggie. We'll deal with everything else later, okay? I love you."

I didn't like it that he didn't say anything to me except a whispered, "love you, too."

"Don't kill, Dwight. Okay?" Rick told him.

"Not promising nuthin'," Daryl muttered before taking off through the already open gates.

I didn't say a word as I watched them close behind him. "Shit!" Rick exclaimed. "He can't fuck up the truce we have."

That's when I turned to him with fire in my eyes. "You have no idea how hard this is for him, do you?"

"What do you mean? I know he hates Dwight from when he was a prisoner there, but so that we can live in peace with the Saviors, he needs to forget it."

"Forget it? Forget what Dwight did to him there? Do you have any idea how impossible that is for a proud man like Daryl? He will kill that bastard one day, Rick. I just hope it isn't today!" Now I was angry. He was asking Daryl to do the impossible.

"Something tells me, you know way more about his time there than I do. Tell me what I need to understand, Jessie. He would never talk about it to anyone, but I need to know. Please, tell me," Rick asked.

The last thing I wanted to do was betray Daryl's trust. However, Rick was his best friend and I think he'd understand Daryl a lot better if he knew what they put him through. No one had any idea how bad it was except me. Maybe it was time for someone else to know.

"Let's sit at the picnic table for this. Whatever I tell you Rick has to be between you and me only. You have to promise me it won't go any further. Not even to Michonne." We had walked over to the table and both sat on top of it. "Do you promise me?"

"Yeah, I do." I saw the deep concern in his blue eyes. "Why are you trusting me?"

Good question. "Because you would never betray Daryl. He could see me as doing that because I'm talking to you, but I am willing to chance it. You both are extremely close and this will help you understand him better. And he's a hard man to understand."

"You can say that again," Rick chuckled.

"This is sidetracking a little bit, but it will help all of the pieces fit. Have you ever seen him with his shirt off?"

"What does this have to do with Dwight?" he asked totally confused with my question.

"It does. Before Dwight, before anything with the Savior's, did you ever see him with his shirt off?"

I saw Rick thinking for a moment. "No. I don't think I ever did. Why"

"Because his chest and back are covered with scars. He lets no one see them, except me. They're from his father whipping him bloody as a kid until he ran away at sixteen and lived with Merle. That's the life he came from. You and your group were the first people to ever show him that he mattered. You all loved him and he loves you. That's why when he thought he lost everyone, it almost killed him. But his survival instinct is strong. It's so damn strong that he survived at Dwight and Negan's hands what would have broken most people."

I took a deep breath before continuing. There was no turning back now. "They kept him locked in a completely dark small room. He was naked in the beginning on a hard cement floor. The room had nothing in it at all except him. Dwight fed him once a day a sandwich made from canned dog food. He ate it so that he would stay as strong as he could. But he ate dog food his entire time there. Then it was the music. Non-stop for days. The same song as loud as it could go nonstop. He could never sleep. It was nothing short of torture for him. Occasionally, the song would stop for a few minutes and he'd pass out from exhaustion, only to have it start up right away again. On purpose. Negan did his best to try to convince Daryl to turn traitor, to become one his men, but he refused. That's when he was given those awful hot sweats and he was given horrible menial duties to do. He kept his mouth shut and did the work, but he was always looking for a way out. The only time he acted out was when he saw Carl with Negan. He loves your boy."

I turned and saw Rick looking at me with tears in his eyes. I could tell this shocked him. "I knew it was bad, but I never knew it was that bad for him."

"He gave Dwight a chance that day in the burnt forest and he fucked him over by stealing his bike and the crossbow. Then Dwight killed Denise when he was aiming for Daryl. Why Daryl? What had he done to Dwight to make him hate him so much? Dwight then shoots him. And Dwight is in charge of his torture the whole time he's at the Sanctuary. He hates that man so much, Rick. I don't honestly know if he cannot kill him if he sees him."

Rick put a hand on my knee. "Thank you for telling me this. He and I had a slight rough patch for a while because I wanted to follow the plan we had for taking out the Saviors and he was going rogue on me. Now I understand why. If I had been through that, I would feel the same way. I know one thing about Daryl and that he doesn't trust easily. He's told you everything and that shows how important you are to him. That makes you important to me. He's my brother…by choice. And I will always have your back, Jessie. Plus, you earned my respect that first day. It's rare that someone can put me in my place."

"That was fun," I laughed before turning serious again. "You're a good man, Rick. I know everything you've done to keep your people alive and that impressed me. I've only had bad experiences in groups, so that's why I was on my own when I found Daryl. This is a good place. Thank you for allowing me to be part of it."

"Anytime," he said as he stood up. "I'm going to check on Maggie. Gonna come?"

"Birthing babies is not my thing, but I was headed up to find something to eat when all this started. I'll join you as far as that, but then I'm back here to wait for my man to get home."

"It's going to be awhile before he gets back," Rick told me as we walked towards the mansion.

"I've got no place to be. Waiting for him is the least I can do."

"He's a lucky man."

"That he is," I agreed causing Rick to laugh. "But I'm even luckier."

And I was. I'm the luckiest girl in this whole fucked up world. Rick kissed my cheek and whispered, "You are," before bounding up the stairs.

My book was still in the middle of the foyer floor where I had dropped it so I picked it up before heading toward the kitchen to grab something to eat. My plan was to bring everything back to the picnic table. That's where I planned to wait for Daryl to return. The sentries would let me know when he was approaching. All I had to do was sit and wait for him to make it back safely and with the doctor for Maggie. I was going to eat, read, and pray. Daryl was going to need all the help possible to get back and forth as quickly as possible. The praying was so that he wouldn't kill Dwight, at least not yet. Because if he did, the Saviors would never let him live. And I needed him to live. It would totally break me if he didn't.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter Thirty-Six

Daryl

The entire ride to the Sanctuary, I had to talk myself down. It was a good thing it was a long ride because I needed the time. I was going back to the place I swore I would never go. I had no choice. I had to do this for Maggie. My thoughtless actions had cost her enough already, she wouldn't lose anyone else because of me. Glenn's death was my fault. Even though Maggie said she didn't blame, I did. I was the one who impulsively swung at Negan. I couldn't take his taunting of Rosita anymore, the problem was I swung first without thinking of the consequences. That well-meaning, but poorly timed punch cost Glenn his life. We all had to watch as Negan brutally murdered him. That scene will forever be running through my head. Not a day went by that I didn't think of him.

That's why I had to do this for Maggie. I needed to redeem myself even this little bit, to make up for the loss of Glenn. Fetching the doctor from there was the least I could do.

I saw the Sanctuary buildings approaching in the distance and I felt like I was going to throw up. That's how bad I hated it here. And that's how bad I hated Dwight. He locked me up, kept me naked in a hot dark cell, fed me fuckin' dog food, but I never ever gave in. He took my bike, took my crossbow, and that bastard took my vest. That was the last piece of home I had. My only part of my life before the world went to shit. That vest was me and I want that piece of leather back.

I was able to steal my motorcycle the day I escaped. A got a new crossbow from the Kingdom, but I still didn't have that vest. If I had to kill that mangled motherfucker to get it back I would. But not today. Maggie had to come first.

Then there was Angel. If I tried to kill Dwight now it would be my death sentence. Me against the hundreds here had me on the losing end. I couldn't do that to her. I know she needed me as badly as I needed her.

Angel came into my life as I was giving up. I should have died that day from the knife wounds, but somehow I was able to stumble miles to that abandoned cabin. It was like something was steering me there for her to find me. Angel saved my life that day and changed me forever. I can't imagine not having her in it which is the oddest thing for me. I went well over forty years living for me and not caring about much else.

Merle and me used women for just one thing – sex. I wasn't the kind of guy you dated and brought home to Mom and Pops. No, I was the guy you fucked in the bathroom when you were half-drunk in a bar. I didn't need more and I definitely didn't want more. Livings with this group of strangers, who now were as close as family to me, I learned that women could be friends too. Maggie, Carol, Michonne, and the others became my friends and I trusted them. But they never warmed my bed. I never wanted that with any of them. Angel changed that the second I met her.

I was hot for her as soon as my eyes could focus that day. I said nuthin', did nuthin' about it. There was no way a beautiful woman like her would want an old redneck loser like me. But I loved the nights. We shared the same small bed with Angel cuddling up next to me. I never fell asleep until she did. It was the only time I could relax and let my imagination run wild. What would it be like with her every day by my side? And most importantly, what would it be like to be inside of her? Now I know. It's fuckin' incredible and gets better every damn time.

So, I'm not gonna act like a jackass and go after Dwight. I need more time with Angel. If I plan it right, she'll be part of the family by then, so if anything happens to me, I know that she'll be taken care of. That's why today's not the day.

As I approached the gates on the bike, I realized that I was saying that over and over again. "Today's not the day. Today's not the day." It couldn't be. There was just too much at risk for me to fuck this up. First things first and that meant bringing the doc back to Maggie.

"Stand back!" one of the guards shouted as I pulled up to the gate. They aimed their guns at me.

"Take it easy. I'm from the Hilltop. We need Doc Carson."

"Never saw you before. You ain't getting the doc," the taller of the two said.

Even though what they were saying made sense, I didn't have the time to deal with this. "Listen, get me someone in charge, now! We need the doctor. Ain't got no time to waste dealing with you pricks."

The shorter of the two finally ran off to find someone. The other guy kept glaring at me, but I just ignored him. I put the kickstand down and got off the bike. My heart was racing a mile a minute and I thought it was about to burst outta my chest. I hated this place so fuckin' much.

After a couple of wasted minutes went by the door opened and out walked of all people Eugene. The douchebag traitor. He looked at me in surprise. "Daryl, Rick said that you were dead."

"Yeah, well I ain't. We need Doc Carson. Maggie's gonna have the baby. They sent me to get him, but these two pricks won't let me in."

"Open the gate, Tyson and let him in," Eugene said as he walked toward me.

I took my crossbow off the back of the bike and strutted toward the building like I didn't have a care in the world. As the gate clang shut, I turned back to the guards. "If anything happens to my bike, I'll slit both your throats. Got it?" I didn't wait for an answer but just kept walking past Eugene and into the building that tried to claim my soul.

Eugene rushed after me. "I'll get Dwight. He needs to approve this."

I stopped short, turning to glare at the man I had absolutely no respect for. "I don't give a shit what you gotta do. I'm getting Doc Carson and taking him to Maggie. Ain't nuthin' gonna happen to that baby."

"I'll get Dwight," he said. I watched the one-time member of my group scurry away to find the man that I hated and had vowed to kill. With Negan gone, Dwight was number one on my list. The words "not today" kept running through my head as I made his way to the infirmary. I knew its location from my imprisonment.

Dr. Carson has his back to me as I entered the room. I was glad that he was alone. "Doc, Maggie needs ya at Hilltop."

"Daryl, my God you're alive," he exclaimed as he turned to see who was talking to him.

'Yeah, it's me back from the dead. C'mon we gotta go. Maggie's having the kid."

"Okay. I have a bag put aside for this in my quarters. Stay here and I'll be right back." He started to leave the room but stopped when he got next to me. "Good to have you back."

"Yep. It' s good not to be dead." The doc laughed at me and patted me on the arm before leaving. Well, it was the truth. I was glad not to be dead. Had too much to live for now. I really did.

I wandered around the room trying to kill time until he got back. The sooner we could get outta here the better it would be. Maybe I could be gone before even laying eyes on the prick bastard.

"Well hell. Looks like Eugene was right after all. You are alive."

Damn.

I slowly turned around to face the man that had made my life a living hell for a long time. The man I swore vengeance against and the man I couldn't kill. At least not today. "Been gettin' that a lot today."

"He said you wanna take Dr. Carson with you. Maggie's in labor?" Dwight asked as he leaned up against the doorframe.

"Yeah, she is. Is this gonna be a problem?" If it was, then I may have to kill him.

"Not at all, Daryl. We knew she was due soon. Both communities share Doc Carson. It's a win-win for all of us."

Just when I was hoping he was going to give me a hard time, he didn't. I didn't want Dwight to be nice to me. I needed him to be the same lying scarred bastard he was when I was here. That kept the hate going. Him being nice and agreeable went against it all. Saying nuthin' right now was the safest thing for me to do.

"Still don't talk much do you?"

"Not to pricks like you I don't." Yeah, so much so not saying nuthin'.

"I'm not the enemy here anymore, Daryl." Who was he kidding? Did he expect me to forget what he put me through? The hell I lived in because of him?

"So you say. But we both know you don't always mean what you say, right?"

Dwight shook his head. I was no pushover and he knew that. "I'll see what's taking Doc Carson."

"Yeah, you do that." I was glad he was gone. I didn't trust him one bit. I never would. Rick was stupid if he did. "Where the hell are you doc?" I said out loud to the empty room. "We gotta go."

"Ready," came from behind me and even though I was expecting him, it startled me for a brief moment.

I saw he had a filled backpack in his hands. "Good. Glad you got a pack. We're on my bike. It was the fastest transportation we have."

"Let's go then," he agreed.

I practically ran to get back to the motorcycle. Doc Carson probably thought I was in a hurry to get him to Maggie, which was true, but I also needed out of that building and away from the Sanctuary and Dwight. My urge to kill him was growing stronger by the second. But this was not the time or the place.

The ride back to the Hilltop was fast and thank-fucking-god uneventful. We managed to stay away from any decent size herd and the living for the entire trip. The sun was starting to set when I finally saw the tall walls of the Hilltop come into sight. That dirt road that led up to it was still a bitch filled with ruts and potholes. For once I was glad the ride was over.

I drove us all the way up to the front steps of Barrington House. Rick must have heard the engine as he came out the front door. "How she doing?" I asked him.

"It's progressing along. Glad you made it back with Harlan. Dwight still alive?"

I got off the bike and mumbled, "Unfortunately."

Rick chuckled and directed the doc to follow him. "Just a second, Rick." I watched the doctor open his pack and pull something out of it. "Dwight asked me to give you this when we made it back. Said you'd understand."

He handed me a piece of black folded leather and all I could do was stare at it. I barely knew that Angel had run to my side to welcome me back. I couldn't take my eyes off what he had given me. It was my vest. The black leather vest with the angel wings on the back. Just when I was happy to hate his mangled face, he had to go and do this.

"Daryl, what's that?" Angel asked. And when I didn't answer, "Are you okay?"

I held the only piece of my past that I needed back in my hands. Dwight stole it from me like he had taken everything else he could, except who I was. Not he or even Negan could ever take that from me. This was almost as important. It was stupid for feeling this attached to a piece of clothing, but this kutte, my angel wings vest was me. It was who I was…and I had it back.

"Daryl, you're scaring me. Babe, what is going on?"

"I'm okay I told her," but my voice cracked and told her I was lying. I never lied to Angel.

"No, you're not. Let's go back to the trailer and you tell me what this is all about."

Angel pulled on my arm, but I resisted. "What about my bike?"

"It's not like anyone's going to steal it. It's fine here for now, but you're not. When that man handed you this, your face went completely white, so we're going to the trailer and you are going to tell me what's going on. Okay?"

I felt like an idiot as we walked back the tin can we called home. But if anyone could understand it was Angel. I was hard to get, but she always got me.

I followed her into the hot trailer. It was always this way at this time of day. "What is that and who it is from, Daryl?"

All I could do was show her. I took the folded vest that I was holding against my chest and opened it up. It looked the exact same as the day I had it taken away from me, complete with the small cut from a knife over the left shoulder blade. I could thank a dead Savior for that.

Angel's eyes met mine and they filled with tears. "Is this your vest? The one that asshole took?"

My "yeah" came out hoarse and deep. It was all I could say.

"Put it on, Babe. It's yours again."

I slipped it on and it felt good. It felt like I was me again. The last piece of what made me…me was back. Angel's tears encouraged me to do the same. I couldn't help it. It was only a stupid piece of clothing, but it was mine. It was my last remnant of who I used to be. Not the man that followed his brother around doing shit that I never should have been involved in and not the guy that fucked drunk chicks in bathroom stalls, but the guy I was when it was just me. The dreams I had that I never told anyone about. The guy that wanted to do better but didn't know how. That's the guy I was in this vest.

My girl wrapped her arms around me and I pulled her close. I could get stupid over something as ridiculous as this and not have to worry. Why had it taken me so long to find someone like her? We stood like this for no longer than a minute. It was an emotional moment, but I was good.

"Let me see those wings," Angel said. "Turn around."

Now I felt stupid modeling the damn thing for her, but I turned around so she could see them. "What happened here?" I felt her fingers in the slit the knife had made.

"Some asshole tried to take me out. I just got cut a little."

"And him?" she asked.

I couldn't help the smirk that appeared on my face. "Dead."

Angel laughed, "I shouldn't have even asked. You okay now?"

"Yeah, thanks. Just was…unexpected." Fuck that Dwight for messing with my head when it comes to him.

"Wanna go up to the house and see how Maggie's doing? If Carol's still with her, I was thinking I should throw something together for everyone to eat. What do you think?"

I gave her a hug that ended with a kiss on her head. "Good idea. Let's see if the little brat's here yet. And I'm starving. Only had breakfast today, so food is definitely on my mind. C'mon lets go. I gotta move the bike, too."

My arm rested across her shoulders as we headed up toward the main house. I was surprised how comfortable I was doing this. I actually felt good. It felt normal and Angel and me are nothing like normal.

We got up to the bike and Angel turned to face me. She took the front edges of my vest in her hands and turned those damn purple eyes toward mine. "I'll go check on how things are going with Maggie. You park the bike and we'll meet in the kitchen, okay?"

"Yep."

"But…Daryl?"

Her tone told me something was up. "Yeah?"

"Later tonight…do you kinda think you could keep the vest on when we…"

Oh hell, no. "Nope. Not happening."

"Ah, c'mon. It'll be fun. You looking all hot in that bike vest and nothing else."

I was putting my foot down. No way, I knew I'd feel like an idiot. "Angel, I done everything you ever asked or wanted to try. I even let you tie me up, which was sumthin' I never thought I'd do, but I let you. There ain't no way I'm gonna wear my vest and nuthin' else. I'll feel like a damn fool. So, no I ain't gonna do it."

Great. Now she's giving me that sexy look that always gets me to say yes to anything. I ain't gonna fuck her wearing it like I belonged in the damned Village People. I moved back from her and swung my leg over the bike. "Nope. Get your freaky ass inside and check on Maggie. That's never gonna happen, so drop it."

I started up the engine before turning back to Angel. She had her hands on her hips, but I still shook my head no. Then she gave me the finger before heading up the steps into the mansion. She was a piece of work. That she was. I drove the bike the short distance back to our trailer and parked it. Slowly I headed back to Barrington House. Hopefully, Angel was still going to make sumthin' to eat. I was starving and if she refused me food because of the vest, I may need to reconsider. I was that hungry and that stupid crazy for her. Damn, I was going end up looking like a total idiot later. I just knew it. Fuck me.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Angel

Ariana Elizabeth Rhee came kicking and screaming into this fucked up world a little after four o'clock in the morning. Daryl and I heard her cries through the open window as we sat on the front steps of Barrington House. I cried when I hear her making herself known to the world. They were happy tears and I was so ecstatic for Maggie, but a little sad for her too. Glenn was not here to share the joy with her.

All night Daryl and I sat outside waiting for word. I got him to talk about Glenn. He opened up to me the best under the cover of darkness. This was the first time since we came to The Hillside that we had one of our all-night talks. That had happened quite often back when we lived alone in the house since there wasn't anything else to do, but here it was different. And I had missed it. Now that I could put most of the faces with his stories, they meant even more.

Tonight was definitely a Glenn night.

I had Daryl start at the beginning. And that was Atlanta. I already knew the story how Merle had been left there because he was acting like a jackass. Daryl said that initially he blamed them all, especially Rick, but it didn't take him long to realize that it was Merle's fault. He knew what an obnoxious prick his brother could be.

Glenn was young, but he was the one that came up with the strategy on how to grab the abandoned bag of guns Rick had dropped. It impressed Daryl and Glenn continued to do that the entire time he was alive. He put Maggie and his family of survivors ahead of himself all the time. She was his number one priority right from the start. And as much as Daryl admired him, his description of how Glenn treated others sounded just like Daryl to me. Two very different men weren't all that different after all.

We let a little bit of time go by before heading up the stairs to see the baby. Even though it was the middle of the night, everyone was there. We hung towards the back waiting out turn. I could see that even though Maggie looked exhausted, she also was radiant as the baby was passed amongst us. Motherhood was agreeing with her already.

Carol handed the baby to Rick who held her for a while before giving her to Michonne. Then Michonne handed Ariana off to Rosita. Jesus and Aaron simply watched as did Carl. Finally, Rosita turned to me. I eagerly held out my arms for this little bundle of love.

Ariana had jet black hair that covered her little head. Her eyes were slightly open but I could tell she wasn't able to focus on much of anything as is typical of newborns. The slight almond shape spoke of her Korean lineage thanks to Glenn.

"Maggie, she is so beautiful," I told her. "So incredibly beautiful." She started to fuss in my arms and I was surprised that Daryl asked for her.

"You sure?"

"Hand her over, Angel." The smile he had didn't have me questioning him at all. I gave him the baby and she instantly quieted down. "See...kids like me."

"Judith always reacted the same way when Daryl held her," Carl added. "Always thought that was weird."

Carol walked in with a bottle of formula that she had gone to heat up since Maggie's milk hadn't come in yet. Daryl took it out of her hand and started to feed the baby. Who was this man? I had no idea that Daryl was this comfortable with babies. I stood there with my mouth open in surprise.

"Yeah, it's odd isn't it how they take to him?" Carol laughed.

"It sure is," I agreed. I would have rated him last in this room full of people as being the most uncomfortable with babies. I was wrong. It was the exact opposite. He seemed right at home.

"Daryl, can I try feeding my baby?" Maggie asked from the bed. The poor new mother had barely a chance to hold her own child with all of us here. Reluctantly, he handed her over.

"Got a name? If not, I'm sure I can come up with one for ya like I did for Judith?" he teased Maggie.

"Not another Lil' Asskicker," Carl said before Maggie could answer. The room burst out laughing.

Daryl tried to look insulted but he was smiling too much to pull it off. "Hey, that was a good name."

"It was certainly different, but yes she does have a name, Daryl. Ariana Elizabeth Rhee."

"And on that note, Maggie needs some rest, everyone. Why don't you come back in the morning so she can get some sleep?" Doctor Carson suggested.

Everyone said goodnight to the new mom and we all shuffled out of the room. The sky was starting to lighten since the sun was starting to rise. Daryl and I were both exhausted, so we undressed and immediately fell asleep as soon as we laid our heads down.

It was going on noon by the time I emerged from the trailer. Daryl had gotten up only after a few hours of sleep. I need more so I took advantage of the extra room in our small bed and immediately went back to sleep.

Even after almost two years of this apocalyptic mess, I still thought of coffee first thing when I got up each day. I was thinking of the caffeine rush I missed as I made my way up to the front steps and into the foyer of the mansion. The kitchen was empty except for a pot of oatmeal still staying warm on the stove. Usually, that was cleaned up by now but I took advantage of it and scooped myself out a generous portion.

I sat outside in the hot afternoon sun, enjoying what had become a breakfast staple for us. Daryl was around somewhere, but I had gotten used to him doing his own thing during the day. We occasionally made runs together, but not often. I was leaning back on the steps with my eyes closed when I heard footsteps approaching. I opened my eyes to see John who lived on one of the trailers heading toward me. He was one of the original people that had lived here before the Savior attack. He and a few others were able to escape and eventually make their way back.

"Hey, Jessie. Is Maggie around?" he asked.

"She's taking it easy today and maybe the next few. She had the baby last night. What do you need?" If I could help, I certainly would.

"Well, Maggie has Sarah, Reggie, and me going on a run. But she never said where she wanted us to go. Do you have any idea?"

"Does she have you looking for anything specific?" I asked him.

John shook his head. "No, just to add whatever we can to our supplies. You know food, medicine, batteries, candles…stuff like that."

"Alright, are there areas that you haven't scavenged in yet? Or that could use another go through?"

"I have a map that we've been marking locations off on. Do you want to see it?" That was a smart move by him.

"Yes, then we can figure out where you should go next. We can figure this out without bothering Maggie. Where's the map?" I could easily handle this without getting the new mother involved. Piece of cake.

"In my trailer. I'll go get."

"John, meet me at the picnic table. We can spread it out there."

And this was how the next few days went. I hung out on the steps of the mansion and took care of the little stuff, so not to bother Maggie. Nothing major came up or I would have asked her. I hoped she didn't feel I was stepping on her toes. I just wanted to make these early days with the baby easy for her.

The morning of day four I was relaxing on the steps after enjoying another bowl of oatmeal when Maggie strolled outside carrying Ariana. I had made sure I visited her each day, but I never stayed long.

"So I hear I have you to thank for the quiet days since Ariana arrived," Maggie said joining me on the steps. The sleeping baby was cradled in her arms.

Her smile told me that she wasn't mad. "There was no need for you to be bothered with little stuff. Ariana was more important for you to be taking care of. It gave me something to do while Rick and Daryl do whatever they do. How is the little angel?"

"She's easy so far. All she does is eat and sleep. I can stare at her for hours just watching. I see so much of Glenn in her already." There was a tiny note of sadness in her voice. I couldn't imagine how painful it was losing Glenn, especially in the brutal way he died. I know losing Daryl would destroy me and we haven't been together nearly as long as Maggie and Glenn were. I envied her strength. The more I got to know her the more she impressed me.

"I had Aaron put one of the cribs in the office. It's time I got back to running this place. Please do not think that I didn't appreciate you helping me out this past couple of days because I really did," she told me with a gentle smile.

"Maggie, it was no problem at all. But I do have a question. Do you have anyone in charge of runs?"

She shook her head no. "Not really."

"Then I'm offering to do that job for you if you want. It takes a lot to run this place and you shouldn't have to worry about scheduling runs and where to go. If there's something special you want me to have them look for, just let me know. I don't want to step on your toes, but it would be good to have something to do."

I meant it. If she let me do this, I would have a job…something to keep me busy. I sure wasn't used to having so much free time. I was bored and it was starting to drive me crazy.

"You sure? I would love that."

"Oh my God, yes. Before I met Daryl I spent all my time just trying to survive and make it to the next day. With Daryl, we had each other and always found ways to keep busy."

"So I heard," Maggie laughed.

I burst out laughing too. "Not just sex. We're not only about the sex…well maybe a lot about sex, but we did other non-sex stuff too. Maybe not a lot, but we did find other things to do. I think."

Okay, Maggie was giving me the same smirk that Carol and Michonne. "Alright, I know what you are thinking. Same as the other girls…Daryl? Right. You don't see him that way. Am I right?"

"Yes. In all the time we've been a group…a family, he never showed any interest in anyone. And he shows up with you and you guys…"

"Cover the baby's ears." Maggie laughed but did it anyway. "Fuck like sex-crazed maniacs."

"That is certainly one way of putting it."

"If I can hold the baby, I will tell you about me and Daryl. I know everyone is curious and if I get to the 'too much information' phase. Feel free to cut me off." Maggie handed Ariana over to me faster than I thought she would. My poor Daryl. All the girls wanted to know what he had that drives me crazy and I'm about to spill the beans.

"Well, first of all, we have incredible chemistry. Neither of us admitted it in the beginning, but I wanted him from the second I saw him bleeding on that old dirty wood floor of the shack I found him in. He was unconscious, but when he first woke up he thought he was dead and I was an angel. It had something to do with the light coming in and my hair, that's why he calls me Angel. But when he knew I was real and he wasn't dead, he said that he was attracted to me like he never was to another woman. But it took us a couple of weeks for things to happen. I didn't know if he liked me and he didn't know if I liked him, until I kissed him. I had done a run on my own, he was still healing. I barely made it back and I was exhausted and a mess. I was so happy to see him, I just kissed him and he kissed me back. That was the beginning of us. Then we found out that we both like sex the same way - hard, rough and off the wall. And yeah, I know I get loud, but I can't help it. Mags, he's just that good."

Ariana started to squirm in her sleep so I bounced her a little in my arms to quiet her down. "Really?" Maggie asked me.

"Part is the chemistry we have, but the other part is that…damn he'll kill me for telling you this. He can't know I told you this. Part of it is that he's hung like a goddamn stallion and he knows how to use it."

Before Maggie could respond, Rick and Daryl both came from around the side of the building over to us. "What are the smiles for?" Daryl asked.

I looked at Maggie and she looked at me, and we both just burst out laughing. There was no way he was going to know that I had been talking about the size of his dick with her. That was confidential girlfriend information.

"What did I say?" he asked us looking confused.

"Nothing Babe. We're just being silly." Time to steer him to another topic. "Maggie and I were talking and she's agreed to put me in charge of the runs we make. Locations, sending out the teams… that sort of stuff. It'll take this off her plate and give me something to do."

"We don't have to report to you when we go out, do we?" Rick asked. I would love to tell him, yes but I knew that would never happen.

I gave them both a big smile. "No, you boys just keep doing whatever you do all day or go wherever you go. I'll take care of the real workers."

Could have sworn that Rick's cough sounded more like the words "bull shit" than an actual cough. Daryl just gave me his evil look that turned me on more than it did scare me. He should know that by now.

And that's how I finally started to contribute here at Hillside. The runs were coming back more successful than before and I felt like I was making a difference. I went on a lot more runs than before and had us looking for stuff in places they didn't consider before.

It was a few weeks later and the temperature was starting to change. Days were warm, but no longer hot. The cold weather would be coming and we needed to prepare for that. Finding warm clothing was now top on my list along with food and medicine.

There was a sporting goods place in a nearby town that we had been through briefly. Anything that was a weapon or camping gear or anything like that was long gone, but they still had clothes there. Now it was time to go grab what they had. I set up a run for myself, John and two other residents to go on. We took a smaller box truck that they had found since we could fit more supplies in it than a car.

We made it to the store without any problems. Inside they still had a decent selection of clothes, boots, hats, and gloves. "We take everything," I told my team. "This way we have stuff for new people. Don't worry about sizes because everything goes with us."

We parked the truck out back so that if anyone drove down the street they wouldn't see it. Then we carried load after load of clothes outside. I had Amy in the truck moving everything back. There was no reason to sort anything, we just needed to do this as quickly as possible. Boxes of boots came next. We concentrated on the adult sizes, since the only children we had there were Judith and Ariana. I knew what size Judith wore, but this store didn't carry anything her size. However, there was a children's store a few storefronts down.

The four of us stood outside the back of the truck. "Okay, John you and Benny finish up with the hats, gloves, and socks. Then take one more sweep to see if we missed anything that we could use. I'll take Amy with me. I want to check in that kids shop a few doors down for stuff for Judith. It shouldn't take us long."

"Gotcha, Jessie. This is a good haul. We'll finish up and meet back here at the truck."

"And if you guys see a problem coming up, honk and we'll drop everything and run. Okay?" Our safety had to come first before anything else. Losing people on runs due to careless mistakes was all too common, but I had yet had that happen to me.

I grabbed my pack with me and used the crowbar I had brought along to pry open the back door of the kid's shop. We lucked out that it was empty of walkers. "What are we looking for?" asked Amy.

"Anything for Judith. Look for 2T or 3T sizes. Shoes in 7 or 8."

We scoured the store as fast as possible throwing whatever we found into shopping bags we found behind the counter. I was filling one last bag with stuffed animals and toys when we heard a car engine approaching. We both ducked down as an SUV slowly passed by through the parking lot. Silently I prayed that John and Benny had heard it too.

I moved toward the front of the store but staying low. I wanted to get a look at the vehicle and the people inside. If they stopped and attacked us, I wanted to know as much about them as possible. The car stopped nearly right outside of the children's store. I could see the three occupants talking amongst themselves.

Then the guy in the front passenger seat turned his head toward the window and my heart stopped. It was Jason. The asshole that was responsible for me being gang-raped. It was the worst night of my life. He was alive and right outside the store I was hiding in.

I wasn't afraid of him, I was angry. I was no longer the same girl I was before or immediately after the rape. I was stronger, smarter, and I was prepared to kill him. Knowing that he was still alive made my decision easy…he had to die. And I was ready to do it.

A man like Jason wasn't a one-time rapist. He got off abusing women, so I knew he hadn't stopped with me. There was no way I could let a man like him live. It didn't look like he was with the same guys. I didn't recognize the one in the backseat, but I was sure he'd travel with the same type of guy he was. They got off hurting women and watching the abuse. Nope, there was no way I could let them live.

Nor could I let them get away.

"What do you see?" asked Amy.

Somehow I found the ability to speak. "White SUV with three guys in it. Listen, Amy. Let's just take these bags and head back to the truck. I think we got enough."

I was trying to come up with a plan. There was no way I could go back to the Hillside and get Daryl. I would lose Jason. Even though I would be on foot and they have a car, I was going to follow them. I had to.

Amy and I slipped out the back door and tossed our bags into the back of the truck. John and Benny were already there. "Did you see that car?" Benny asked.

"Yes, those guys are nothing but trouble. John, drive the truck out that back entrance. Stay off the road that runs in front of this strip mall. Just get all this back without running into trouble."

"Why does it sound like you aren't coming with us?" he asked.

"I'm not. I have something need to take care of. I'll make my way back on my own."

"I don't like that, Jessie. You should come back with us." I appreciated John's concern, but I had to do

this.

"I'll be fine. You guys just go. Okay?"

"What are we going to tell Daryl? He's going to want to know why you didn't come back with us and he's not going to be happy. He's a guy I don't want to get on his bad side, so please change your mind, Jessie." John like many of the others at Hillside was afraid of Daryl. I didn't think he'd take this out on them, he knew I was strong-willed. There's no way I'm going to let them stop me.

Yeah, Daryl was going to be mad. Furious was more like it, but I would lose their trail if I waited for him. I needed this revenge as the final part of my healing. He would have to understand. "Tell him I'm settling up an old score. He'll know what that means. Just get this load back safely."

I didn't give them a chance to argue. I threw my backpack on and took off through the back lot and around the building. They didn't stop me, I never gave them a chance to. Now I was off to follow that SUV. There was a man I had to kill.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter Thirty-Eight**

 **Daryl**

I was going to kill Angel. She's going off after that rat bastard that raped her on her own. She had promised to let me be the one to take him out, but instead, she runs off to do it herself. If we both make it through this, I'm gonna kiss her, then I'm gonna kill her.

When the group from the run came back I instantly knew something was wrong. The second I heard the truck approaching the gate, something inside me told me she was in trouble. I ran over to the truck with Rick automatically following me.

"Where is she?" I demanded pulling John out of the driver's seat. "Where the fuck is she?"

"Daryl, back off of him!" Rick said pulling me off the guy. "Give him a chance to tell us what happened."

"Talk!" I had no patience for this. I needed to know where Angel was and now.

"She chose to stay back, Daryl. She's alive the last we saw her," John said as he dusted off his pants.

Amy and Benny joined him. "Daryl, It's not John's fault. Jessie got weird after this car drove by the strip mall we were in. We heard it before they could see us, so they never knew we were there. When she saw the guys in the car, her face got white and she said it was time to leave. I thought we were all going together," Amy said standing up for John.

"Yeah, but then she told us what route to take back before running off. But she did say to tell you 'that she's settling an old score' and you would know what that meant. I didn't want to leave her, but you can't tell Jessie what to do. You know that." While I knew he was right, I was still pissed that they came back without her.

Except now I knew the reason why. She had found the motherfuckin' prick that had raped her and now she was going after him. Once I heard that I had them tell me where this strip mall was and I was on my bike in seconds. My crossbow was already in the back since I had been planning on going out for a ride, but got delayed. I was thanking God for that delay.

Rick wanted to go with me, but I told him no. He asked me if I knew what was going on and I told him I sure did. I couldn't tell him more than that. That would be breaking Angel's trust and I never wanted to do that. I'd find her and bring her back, even if meant she was hogtied on the back of my motorcycle. This was something I had to do alone.

Scenarios kept running through my head and none of them were good as the miles passed under my tires. Rash emotional decisions like that always blew up in your face. I should know since that happened to me every damn time. The image of this asshole raping her again kept replaying over and over again. She survived the first time, I doubt she'd be so lucky again. Either way, she'd be so fucked up in the head I wouldn't know how to fix that. Look at me. I'm still fucked up from how my old man treated me as a kid.

I zig-zagged around a few straggling walkers as the strip mall came into sight. I knew she wouldn't be here, but I should be able to find her tracks. Besides Sophia, this was the most important person I needed to find. Tracking was the only damn thing my old man taught me and it was something I used all the time. Now I needed that skill more than ever.

Normally, tracking on asphalt was impossible, but since there were so few people around these days, dirt and debris blew over the roads and parking lots making footsteps slightly visible in some cases. I drove my bike around the back of the strip mall and saw where the truck had been parked. There were numerous recent footprints around it. Then I followed tracks along the building and through the front lot. I went back and got my bike and headed in the direction she went. It wasn't long before I lost her trail and just had to go with my gut.

By the time night came I had doubled back so many times my head was spinning. I had no idea where Angel was. I figured she was following the car she had seen driving past, but there was no sign of either. At least I knew she could survive on her own and she was armed. Like all of us, she always carried a knife on her hip, but she never went anywhere without her gun. That was the only comforting thought as I hid my bike behind a house. It was getting too late to be out on the streets. I needed a place to hold up in.

I secured the house I broke into and sat down to wait until daybreak when I could start this all over again. This was the first night we had spent apart since we hooked up. I missed her.

Badly.

All night I sat in the living room keeping an eye on everything outside, but not having her by my side was driving me crazy. As much as I knew I loved her, this was when I realized that I could never live without her. Just this one night had my stomach in a twist and my nerves on edge. I never felt like this about anyone before in my life. That's when it dawned on me that she was my life. Without her, I couldn't exist. So, I had no option but to find her. Once I did and brought her back home to The Hillside, I wanted to whip her ass for putting me through this. The only problem was that knowing her freaky side, she'd enjoy it. Just my luck.

Once the sun came up I was back on my bike. I had spent a totally sleepless night waiting to start my search again. I was also hungry, but it wasn't the first time and I could easily ignore that for now.

I went back to the last area I had searched and moved to the next street. I parked my bike heading off on foot. It was quieter this way. I covered that street, the next and the one after that. Then it was like my Angel radar kicked into high gear. She was close, I could feel it. That's when I noticed a white SUV down the road. It looked out of place in that it was cleaner than anything else on the street.

It had to be them.

I crept up on the car but could see that it was empty. That's when I heard voices coming from the house it was parked in front of. Walking up the front steps was a sure fire way of getting my head blown off, especially since the front door was wide-open, so I crawled along the bushes belonging to the house next door until I could squeeze through. When my back was against the old gray siding, I tried to calm my racing heart enough to hear who was speaking. I heard two different male voices talking about who was going to go out and look for supplies. Neither wanted to go.

Then I heard a softer female voice, but I recognized it right away. It was Angel. Damn it! They had her. Dying quick and easy was not going to be an option for them. Slow and painful was the only way. Nobody touches my girl.

I was so busy concentrating on what they were saying that I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard my name quietly called from behind me. I whirled around with my crossbow up to see Dwight waving me over to him. He was in the yard next door. What the fuck was he doing here?

I shook my head no. I wasn't going to leave Angel.

"Man, come over. We can keep an eye on the house from here," he said. Wait, why was he watching the house too?

My gut told me to go see what he wanted, but I just didn't want to leave her. I had no idea what he wanted, but as much as I needed to save her, two people would be better than one. So I slid through the bushes again and together we stepped slightly out of sight of the house that held my girl captive.

"Why are you here?" I demanded.

"I was following those guys. Why are you here?"

"Because they have my girl and I'm gonna kill them for taking her."

"She's got that long ass braid going down her back, right?" he asked. I nodded that he was right. "How did she get with them? It isn't safe for her there."

"Why the hell do you think I'm here? Of course, it ain't safe. That douchebag is a rapist and I'll die before I let them do that to her again?" I hissed. "She was doing a run and saw them. Apparently, she took off after them to kill them without coming to me to help. She wants them dead for gang raping her and so do I, but looks like she fucked up and they caught her. Why are you watching them?"

I watched Dwight shake his head. "Sorry, man. Jason was briefly a Savior until I realized he was abusing women. Kicked him out with two others – Smitty and Hank. Last night, I was out for a ride, just clearing my head, and heard the car coming down the road. I hid between two houses and watched them. I saw Jason drag her out of the SUV kicking and screaming. I knew what he was going to do to her, so I followed them and listened outside the house all night. She sure has a mouth on her and she's pissed them off, but they haven't touched her except to knock her out to shut her up."

Knowing they hit her, I quickly turned toward the house to exact my revenge, but Dwight grabbed my arm and pulled me back. I swung at him, but he was ready and stepped back out of my range.

"Daryl, I'm not the enemy. We need to come up with a plan before you go busting in!"

"You let them hit her!"

"Yes, but it shut her up and the guys spent the next few hours arguing over it. Smitty wanted to rape her then, but Jason said, no that she needs to be awake. He likes to see the fear in their eyes. I think she heard that since she stayed quiet all night. Man, if they had tried anything with her, I would have gone in. I swear it, but now we both can save her. Two on two is better than one on two, but we need a plan." I hated that he was right, but he was. Why out of everyone in this upside-down fucked up world did he have to be the one around to help me? The one guy I hated. Now I was trusting him with Angel's life and the sad part was, I knew I could.

"You're right. Let me think a second."

I came up with a basic simple hail-mary type of plan. Both of us slipped through the bushes and stayed back up against the side of the house. We heard Jason telling Smitty he was the one going to food and he would stay back with Jessie. I knew he was doing that so he could have first crack at her. Over my dead body would he lay another hand on her.

"You gonna fuck her up, while I'm gone?" Smitty asked.

"No man. We'll do that when you get back so you can watch. Just going to talk to my ex and get reacquainted with her. I don't like how her attitude's changed, but I won't fuck her until you get back." His words made me see red, but I couldn't let my anger rule me now. I needed a level head to get her out of there.

I heard the door close and moved toward the front of the house. Dwight was staying back eavesdropping on Jason. He was telling Angel what a bitch she's become. I had my crossbow up and silently let a bolt fly hitting Smitty in the back of the head. He died instantly. I dragged him off to the side.

It was now two on one.

Dwight met me at the foot of the steps and we quietly made our way up. I was going to go in first, letting him think it was just me. Dwight would come in behind me in a few minutes or immediately if everything went bad fast. It wasn't a great plan, but it was the best I could do.

I stood outside the front door, why my heart about to pop out of my chest. I had been in crazy situations before and I was always calm. Not today. There was too much at stake this time. I trend the doorknob and stepped into the room with my crossbow up.

"Smitty, what the fuck are you doing…"Jason started to say before he turned and saw me. I hated him the second I saw him. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded as he yanked Jessie in front of him. He had a knife to her throat.

My eyes immediately went to Angel's. I saw the fear being replaced by relief and then strength. She knew I was going to get her out of this. "Release her asshole and you may live." I could lie as easily as I could breathe.

"Not happening. Jessie's mine and she's coming with me. You want to don't you sweetheart?"

"I'm not going anywhere with you fuckface. Before Daryl kills you, I'm cutting off that puny dick of yours. You've raped your last woman," she yelled at him.

I could see his face turn red and his hand started to shake as he was consumed with fury. Apparently, he wasn't happy with Angel's plan. The knife was pressed harder against her throat. "You know him?" he growled.

"I sure do, he's the man I love. Unlike you he's a real man, that knows how to please a woman and doesn't need to rape them to get off like you do you sorry piece of shit." Okay, Angel needed to shut up. She wasn't helping me riling him up this way.

"That's it bitch. You're done!"

Everything happened in a flash. Angel elbowed him in the gut which released his hold on her enough for me to put a bolt into his right shoulder causing him to drop the knife. A gunshot from behind me hit him in the knee making his drop to the floor instantly in pain.

My crossbow fell as Angel ran into my arms. I saw the black eye he had given her and a split lip. If I wasn't already planning on killing him, I would now. No one hurts Angel and lives. Dwight walked over to him with his gun still drawn as I made sure Angel was alright.

"I'm so glad you found me. I'm sorry, Daryl. I should have gotten you first," she admitted as a few tears slipped from her eyes.

"Yeah, but we'll talk about that later. Are you okay? Did he hurt you besides hitting you in the face?"

She knew what I meant and shook her head. Thank God.

"What about the other guy?" she asked wiping her eyes.

"Outside dead."

"Daryl, what's the plan for him?" Dwight asked me. "Shut up asshole," he told Jason as he lay crying on the floor.

"Please don't kill me," the man begged. "I'm sorry about Jessie. I wasn't gonna hurt her, just scare her."

"Bull shit," I told him as I stepped on his gunshot wound. The baby screamed in pain. Pussy. "You're dying man there ain't no way around that."

"Dwight, c'mon! Don't let him kill me. Argh!"

"Sorry, man. Didn't mean to kick that bolt you got in you. So Daryl, how we gonna do it?" Dwight asked. The smile he gave me was eerie with the burned side of his face stiff.

Angel slipped out of my arms and went for Jason's belt. Damn, she really was gonna cut off his dick. "Hold him down, guys. I've needed to do this for a long time."

I was not going to get in the way of her needing revenge. I knew that feeling well. Too bad he just helped me save her life. When Jason started to try to get up, I shot another bolt into his other shoulder anchoring him to the floor.

Angel put her hand out and I knew she wanted my knife. I handed it to her without a second thought. She undid the belt and cut his jeans with the knife. I noticed Dwight had his foot on Jason's wrist. I hated that I was starting to like him.

"She's really gonna do it?" Dwight asked.

"Yep. I may not be able to watch though." That was for real. Cut off a leg, an arm or slice a guy's throat I had no problem with. This world had made that easy. But to watch my girl slice off a guy's dick, no fuckin' way. I sleep with her and just no way. Not gonna watch.

I watched her grab his little dick and chuckled. It was puny like she said. Jason started to scream, so I grabbed the bandana out of my back pocket and shoved it in his mouth. "Turn your head guys," Angel warned.

Both Dwight and I quickly did. She was fast because Jason was screaming in pain worse than before in a second. I made a mental note not to piss her off.

"Now, even though you'll be dead, you'll never rape another woman again. Daryl…Babe, he's all yours. Kill him."

She was blood-thirsty that's for sure. "Where's your gun, Angel?"

"Over there on that table with my knife. They took them from me when I killed the other guy they were with."

"Hank? Dark skinned with a scar on the side of his face?" Dwight asked.

Jessie smiled. "Yeah, that was him."

In the meantime, I had gone over to the table and retrieved her weapons. I handed Angel back her knife but I kept her gun. Fitting he should die with it. I said nothing before putting it against his head and pulling the trigger. Now he would never hurt her or another woman again.

"Let's get out of here," Dwight suggested. "This place smells of piss."

I was the last one out closing the door behind us. That chapter of her life was finally over. I still wanted to strangle her for putting me through this, but I understood her need for revenge.

Angel put out her hand to Dwight. "Thank you for helping us. I don't even know your name."

"Dwight. I don't believe in men abusing women, so I was glad to help."

She looked over at me with the question clearly across her face. Was he the one I had told her about? Yeah, the man I hated and vowed to kill just helped me save her life. Now I owe him. God fuckin' damn it.

Before I could answer her, he did. "Yeah, I'm him."

Angel then turned toward him and gave him a gentle kiss on his scarred cheek. "Thank you, Dwight. I can never repay you for helping Daryl this way. You both saved my life. Jason was going to rape me then kill me. I heard them talking about it last night. Maybe now you two can call a truce between you? Just a thought." Then she turned to me, "Can we go home now?"

"Yep. C'mon my bike's hidden few streets over." But before we went I had to thank the man I used to hate. "Dwight, man…you didn't have to help me, not with our history, but you did. Thanks, man. I owe ya."

"No man, you don't. Me helping you and Jessie doesn't even get us even close to calling it even. Glad I could help. Good luck to you both. And Daryl?"

"Yeah?"

"I'd hide knives around her…especially if you've pissed her off," he laughed. "Later."

"You got that right!" Jessie said with a wink. "Thanks again, Dwight." He waved at us as he headed toward his bike. He took off on it as we headed down the street so we could find my motorcycle.

As we rode home to Hillside, I finally felt the tension leave me that started the second the truck came back without her. She and I were going to have a long talk about this. We were a team…partners, hell I guess you could say she was my soulmate, but she couldn't put herself in danger like this. I may not survive the fear she put me through again. I was ready to whoop her ass when we got back, but I was pretty sure that she'd love it and ask me to do it again. Just my luck.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter Thirty-Nine**

 **Angel**

The entire way home as I hung onto Daryl on the back of his bike, I cried. Not a sobbing type of cry, just tears that wouldn't stop. I have no idea how he found me. He was incredible to have tracked us down to that house. He came for me like I kept praying that he would. I asked for the impossible and Daryl delivered. He was my hero.

It was stupid of me to have tried to have done this on my own. I was overconfident and my drive for revenge made me careless. There was always the chance that I could die, but I ignored that. I never considered what my death would do to Daryl. If the roles were reversed, his dying would kill me. I'd just either roll up into a ball and stop living, or I'd walk out of the gates until something or someone killed me. I wouldn't care, just as long as I died to be with him again.

I know he loved me the same, so to have done this to him was horrible of me. I never gave his feelings a second thought except that he would be mad when I got back. The 'if I didn't' never occurred.

I had followed the SUV until it drove out of my sight. I was lucky that I saw it stopped in front of what used to be a liquor store. Through the dirty windows, I could see the men wandering around the near-empty store. Their voices could be heard through the door they left open. Complaints of nothing left except a bottle of crème de menthe was all I heard.

When the guy with the scar walked out the door, I shot him. Didn't think twice except that I needed to take him out to give me better odds. They ended up having only had one gun which Jason had. I could tell when they used up the bullets in the clip. That's when I went into the store. My mistake.

The gun gave me too much confidence. I didn't count on them splitting up and Jason grabbing me from behind. When he saw it was me, he laughed. "Well, look what's come back for me to play with again," he laughed.

"Over my dead body," I spat at him.

"That my sweet…will be arranged. Of course, after we've had our fun."

I put up a fight, but a punch to my jaw had me seeing stars. That's when they dragged me to the car, threw me in the back seat, and drove off. Jason had my gun pointed at me during the entire trip. He told the other guy what house to stop at and that's where we spent the night.

There was no way I wanted him to know I was actually panicking inside. He would feed off that, so I forced myself to do the exact opposite. I told them both they were dead men. That even if they did kill me, I had someone that would kill them. Jason just laughed at me, but I kept yelling at him until he slugged me again. This time I did black out and pretended to stay that way all night.

And just when I thought I was done and he was going to rape me again as his fingers had started to unbuckle his belt, Daryl walked through the door. My hero was saving his absolutely stupid damsel. And this wasn't any fairy tale. It was my nightmare…but Daryl saved me before Jason destroyed me.

I felt the bike's tires change from pavement to dirt and knew we were almost home. I wiped the tears from my eyes and made sure I had my big girl panties pulled up. No one needed to know any of the details of what went on.

The gates opened and Daryl drove on in parking the bike in its usual spot. Rick came jogging out of the mansion, with Michonne behind him. Carol was just a little bit behind. Damn, I was hoping for a quiet return. From the other direction came John and Amy. I had to think of a quick answer to my stupidity.

"Everybody, okay?" Rick asked looking at me then Daryl.

"Yep," was all my guy said. He was leaving the rest to me.

"Totally my fault. I'm sorry," I said getting off the bike. "Saw I guy I knew from before that I had a score to settle with. But lost them since I was on foot. I heard Daryl's bike and waved him down. We found a house and spent some time together, that all." Half lie, half-truth. That's the best they were going to get out of me.

Rick turned to Daryl, but he didn't dispute my story. "I'm really sorry," I said to turning John and Amy. "I never should have left you guys like that. I won't do it again, I promise."

"As long as you are alright," Amy replied. "You do look a little banged up."

Shit, I forgot about my face.

"Yeah, when I was running trying to chase the car I cut through a yard and did a face plant tripping over an old flower pot that got in my way. Landed on a brick patio. Just another reason I should have stayed with you guys." I was always a good liar. My parents tried to catch me on stuff that I always had a good answer for. Especially the guys I dated as a teen, they would have hated them, but they always thought I was meeting one of my girlfriends.

"I appreciate you all for worrying, but as you can see I'm okay. But I think I'll shower and change my clothes. Been wearing the same ones for days now. Thank you." Then I turned to Daryl, "You coming?"

"Oh, hell yeah." That didn't sound promising. I knew he was still furious with me and he had every right to be.

The second the door closed behind him, I spun around to face him. "I'm sorry, D…" was all I got out. He pulled me tight against his chest and crushed his lips to mine. I melted into his arms as I always do. When we finally broke apart, we were both out of breath. "Sit down," he said. "We gotta talk."

The second my butt hit the sofa I apologized. "I'm so sorry, Daryl."

"Sorry ain't gonna cut it. Do you have any idea what you put me through? Knowing that you took off after those pricks on your own? We were gonna do that together! You can't take on three guys, Angel. C'mon, use your head!" His fists were clenched tight in anger, but the worst part was that he wouldn't look at me.

I could only hang my head. He was right. I hated that he was mad at me, but I didn't think. I just reacted and that almost cost me everything.

"I thought I'd lose them if I went back for you. I know that was wrong, but I didn't want them to get away."

"So instead I lose you?" he practically shouted jumping to his feet. "There's no choice here, Angel. None so fuckin' ever! You don't do that to me. Knowing they were in the area we could have found them again. What you did was fuckin' stupid! Yeah, sure you found them, but you know it backfired on you, right? I found you by sheer luck! If it was another day? Or even another goddamn hour, you'd be dead or wish you were!"

Daryl had every right to be this mad at me. I deserved it. I had been careless and sloppy, even though I thought I was in control, I wasn't. What if Jason raped me again? What if Daryl hadn't found me? What if Dwight wasn't there to help him? Rescuing me put two more people's lives in jeopardy. I was so stupid. I couldn't blame him for being mad at me…I was mad at me, too.

The tears started and I just let them slide down my cheeks. My life was as perfect as it could be in the world we lived in and I almost threw that away. "You are a million percent right. I was wrong. It was stupid of me and it could have cost me…you or you…me. I am so sorry, Daryl. I really am."

My voice broke with my last words. That's caused him to finally turn to me. The tears that were running down my cheeks were also running down his. That's how bad I fucked up. Daryl was a strong man and I knew for him to be this upset showed how bad I messed up. I loved him even more for caring about me this much. I know he loved me, but this just showed me how much.

He sat down and pulled me into his arms. We stayed holding onto each other for the longest time. This was the only place I always wanted to be. Safe and secure, but most of all loved. I never felt connected to a guy like I did Daryl. Never.

We finally pulled back from the embrace. Daryl wiped the remnants of my tears away with the pads of his thumbs, before leaning in a gently pressing his lips to mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck as the kiss continued. This wasn't one of our crazy out of control kisses. This one was much more love than lust. The kiss was for us and our commitment to each other. It would lead to other things, his kisses always did, but I could already tell this would be the type of sex that we rarely had, but it was what we both needed today.

Slowly, he started to apply more pressure alternating between short, soft strokes of his tongue to longer, deeper ones. I felt his fingers find the end of my braid and within seconds, I can feel it flowing loosely down my back. He's always had a thing about my long hair.

Our kiss slows down with our lips breaking apart. Daryl rests his forehead against mine and we stay that way connected for just a little while.

Soul to Soul.

I reached for the hem of my shirt and pulled it up over my head. Daryl followed doing the same. It wasn't long before we both were naked. Even with all of the scars on his body, including the ones from his father and the newer ones he had been accumulating from surviving in this upside down world, he was still my perfect man. His shoulders went on for miles. The muscles in his arms were perfected by his crossbow. They were strong and defined, but not overdone. He wasn't pretty-boy handsome, but bad-boy hot. Daryl would have gotten my attention even back when life was normal.

Suddenly, I was lifted into the arms I had been admiring and Daryl carried me over to our small bed. The wispy ends of his long hair tickled my bare shoulder as he walked. I was laid down gently on the mattress, with Daryl lying half next to me and half on top of me. Once again, he brought his lips to mine and I felt the love from him flow from his body to mine.

Words were not always easy for him, but he showed me his love in so many other ways. This gentle loving was one. We rarely did gentle, we both were the hard, fast and make me hurt type of lovers. We both were weird that way and it worked for us. Worked very well in fact.

Daryl's hand glided all over my body, never staying in any one area too long. I felt a caress, a light touch, or a soft squeeze depending on where his hand was. He was sending tiny, but very sensual electrical impulses throughout my entire body.

At the same time, I couldn't keep my hands off of him. I had fingers threaded through his hair, while the other hand ran up and down his shoulder and back. I hated every time I felt the thicken skin from the raised scar slide under my fingers, but I never let him know that. The last thing Daryl wanted from me was pity.

The only thing I wanted him to get from me was my undivided love. That's all he needed.

And right now all I needed was him making love to me.

His erection was pressed against my thigh. Just a little nudge by my one hip, had him moving to lie completely on top of me. Then with a little help from his hand, I felt him pressing at my entrance, ready to push inside of me. I was wet for him…I always was. With one steady thrust, he was halfway in and with the second, he was completely buried inside of me.

Having us joined this way was nothing short of incredible. He was literally my other half.

Our lips parted when Daryl moved to support himself on his forearms. His head was right next to mine. As he moved in and out of my body, his breathing was starting to quicken just like mine own was. This was what we both needed today, slow and loving. It had been a long time since we had sex like this and sometimes this was just perfect.

It was uncanny on how our bodies tended to react alike. I felt him speed up his thrusts at the same time I could feel that ball of energy inside me starting to build. I knew the same feelings were starting to overtake him. There was no way for me to stop the moans of pleasure that were coming out non-stop. They weren't loud enough for the entire place to hear me this time, thank God, but that and his deep breathing were the only sounds filling the trailer.

"Yes…oh God, babe…keep going," I whimpered. "So good…so damn good."

My body was tensing for the explosion that I was praying would happen any second, when I felt his body tighten against mine. His thrusting was harder now and that was all I needed to take me over the edge. Our bodies shuddered together as they were overwhelmed with the energy that flowed between us. Daryl eventually collapsed on top of me for a few minutes, before we moved to our favorite cuddling position of him on his back and me curled up next to him with my head on his shoulder.

"I love you," I whispered to him.

"Love you, too," he softly replied.

After the sleepless night I had and the stress from the day, even though it was only late afternoon, I easily fell into a deep sated sleep. I was home.

 **Daryl**

It was late afternoon and Angel was curled up next to me snoring softly. She only did that when she was exhausted and we both were. I hadn't slept in days, but with as tired as I was, I still couldn't fall asleep. I still wanted to shake Angel and scream at her for scaring me like that, but I couldn't. She knew what she'd done was wrong and I had to let it go.

We were now spooning on the bed with my arm wrapped around her. Her naked butt was settled into my crotch. We were both facing the wall, but it was my back to the door. I was the one in the line of fire in case anyone burst in. Even in bed, I needed to protect her.

Since I couldn't sleep, I let my tired mind wander. I replayed this morning in my head. I was pretty sure I could have gotten her out of there without Dwight, but having a second person gave me the upper hand. Even if it had to be him. But there were always the 'what ifs' that got in the way. What if I never found her? What if I was too late? What if they got the better of me? Slim chance on that, but shit does happen.

I know nothing in this fucked up world is a guarantee. I could die tomorrow. So could she, but I don't want it because either of us did something stupid. What she did was completely stupid. Sure, I did shit like that myself these past years, but now it was different. It wasn't just me and I realized that. She needed to think that way too.

We were together…a couple. Not married cause that didn't really exist anymore, but I doubted a ring and a piece of paper would change how I feel for her. This was something I never even considered happening to me. Not before the turn or after. How the hell did I fall in love? All I know is I fell for her the second I laid eyes on her. That was a first for me. Feeling that heavy hit in my gut while I could barely focus and was in pain from the fight was something I never experienced before. Sure, I thought some of the girls in the bars were hot, but they were fuckable hot, not even close to Angel hot.

She had me practically hard for her all the time. I thought about fucking her way more times than is normal. When we could we did it a couple times a day, but here that had slowed down. Rick and me now spent a lot of time together doing shit around the community and runs. I wasn't with Angel all the time like before, so we weren't fuckin' like rabbits anymore. I missed it.

Rick and I could be talking about where to go to look for more gas for the cars and I catch a glimpse of her. Just seeing her for a second, had me wanting her. There is not one woman ever that has made me feel like this. And what makes it even better, is that I know she wants me just as bad. I never had a girl who liked sex as much as Angel does. Sometimes, I think she's worse than me in needing it.

But it's not just the sex and that sex was the best I ever had, but it wasn't just that. Strangely enough, I liked spending time with her. That's the weird part for me. I just like being with her. She gets me, so I don't have to explain shit. Angel makes me laugh and not feel like an outsider anymore. And the most bizarre part is that I crave her touch. I used to hate people to touch me. I would flinch or brush them off because the only person who ever touched me was my old man. He did it to hurt me and that's why I wanted no part of it. It did get better with this group I'm with. I was no longer uneasy when I got a hug or someone touched my arm. Angel has taken me so far past that. I want her touching me. I don't care where – my face, hand, arm…anywhere.

Like now. Before I met her, I never slept with anyone like this. Hell, the only way I spent a night with a chick was because I passed out drunk. With Angel, I want her lying right next to me. Last night was the first time she wasn't with me. I stayed awake not only because I needed to, but also because she wasn't there. Now she was with me and I still can't sleep because I can't fuckin' relax.

A cigarette would help me. I hadn't had one since last night when I smoked the last one I had with me. There wasn't time to even think about grabbing pack before I took off after Angel. But, now I had the time and I really needed a cigarette.

It took me a little while to extricate myself from Angel. She was lying on my arm, so I worked to get it out slowly without waking her up. She needed this more than I did. Finally, I was sitting on the edge of the bed with her still sound asleep behind me. I threw on pants and a shirt, before slipping into my boots. I didn't even both to tie them. Angel had only one rule for me. No smoking inside. It was the least I could do for her, so I always smoked outdoors.

The door quietly clicked shut behind me as I stepped into the fading sunlight. I noticed Rick and Michonne talking next to the picnic table, so I lit a smoke and headed their way. As I got closer I realized they were talking about me.

"I just don't know what to do with him, Michonne."

"Rick, why do you have to do anything? Just leave it alone."

"Cause he's creeping me out! He smiles now and laughs. Fuck, he even made a joke the other day. That's not Daryl!"

I saw that Michonne was laughing at him. Good for her. I could laugh if I wanted to. What the fuck was wrong with that? I saw her eyes catch mine and she touched Rick's arm.

"Hey," I mumbled when I reached them.

"Oh, hey," Rick replied a bit guiltily. I don't think he realized I overheard him. It was funny that he thought I was all weird now. Was I really smiling a lot I wondered? "Umm, how is she?" He must have thought something was up with Angel's story.

"Okay." Simple answers were a good way to start.

Michonne leaned against the edge of the table crossing her arms. "You going to tell us what really happened?"

Besides Angel, there weren't any two people I trusted more than these two. I just didn't want Angel to think I was telling everyone her personal shit. It's just that telling them just may help.

"Did you tell her anything?" I asked Rick but nodded at Michonne.

"Tell me what?"

"Nope, but you should," he told me.

"Sit," I told them and we all sat down at the worn picnic table. "The guy that Angel went after was the asshole that was responsible for her being gang-raped a while ago." I watched Michonne eyes grow big in shock, and then harden. "They were together in a group, but he was new. They…got together a few times, but…" Just the thought of her with another guy had me clenching my hands into tight fists. "But they were on watch together one night and he had two of his buddies join them. Seems that even though she was putting out for him he got off hurting 'em. They raped her all night and left her in the dirt. She's been looking for this guy ever since."

"She didn't lose him, did she?" Rick said. I could tell by the look on Rick's face he knew the answer.

"Nope. She followed them to a liquor store and took out one guy before they grabbed her. This dick, Jason, roughed her up when she fought back. They found a house to hold up in and she got rather mouthy with them, so the asshole slugged her knocking her out. She pretended to stay that way all night when she heard the two pricks arguing about her. The one guy wanted to fuck her even though she was out of it, but this Jason guy said he likes to see the fear in their eyes so they had to wait until she woke up. Even when they kicked her she pretended to be unconscious."

Just the thought of what they had done to Angel had me seeing red again. If they both weren't already dead, I'd do it again. Michonne put her hand on top of my clenched fist and squeezed. Knowing I had these guys support made talking about this a lot easier.

"That's when I found them the next morning. It was sheer fuckin' luck since I had lost their trail the night before. I hear her mouthing off to them as I'm trying to come up with a plan, but I hear my name being called from behind me. It was that ugly burned up prick."

"Dwight?" Rick asked.

"Yeah. He knew these two assholes from the Saviors. Apparently, he kicked them out for abusing women. When he saw them drag Angel…I mean Jessie into the house, he kept an eye on it all night. He helped me get her out. I put a bolt through the one guy when he walked out the front door. That douchebag Jason still had Jessie inside. I put another bolt through his shoulder while Dwight shot him in the knee. Then I put still another bolt in the other shoulder pinning him to the floor."

I remember the prick begging us to not kill him. He couldn't even die like a man.

"Why not take him out with a shot to the head?" Rick asked.

"Was Jessie in the way?" Michonne added.

"He didn't deserve to die quick and easy. I wanted him to suffer as much as possible." I saw Michonne look over at Rick. They both knew what I was capable of. I had done things these past few years that I would never have even thought possible if the world was still normal. Killing and torturing people was never anything I could have done or would have done ever. Now I barely thought twice when I had to do it. This world made me a killer, but I did what I needed to survive. We all did.

"Jessie then took his suffering to a whole new level. She sliced off his dick." I watched my words hit Rick.

"No, she didn't," he said quietly. I think his hand even moved to cover his own.

"Yeah…she did. With my knife, too."

Michonne laughed, "Knew I liked that girl. Not sure I could have done it, but good for her."

Rick looked at me shaking his head. "You better sleep with one eye open, man."

"I do," I said laughing at Rick. He did look a little pale all of a sudden. "But, unless I do something ridiculously stupid, that ain't gonna happen. She likes mine too much."

"I think the while Hilltop has heard how much she like yours. Man, she sure is loud." Rick was grinning at me and I should have been embarrassed, but damn, I was kinda proud of myself. Having a girl as hot as Angel was lovin' sex with me as much as she did ain't nothin' to be ashamed about. No fuckin' way.

"Okay, now we are getting into too much information territory," Michonne said rolling her big brown eyes at us both. "Time to check on Judith. We left her with Maggie and she has her hands full as it is with the baby." Before she walked away, she added, "She looks good on you Daryl. Never saw you laugh as much as you do now. I like it."

"Are you flirting with him?" Rick teased Michonne as they walked away. "Cause I don't want to have to defend you against Jessie. I like my dick."

I laughed when Michonne playfully punched him in his shoulder. I would never have put them together, but they worked.

Lighting up another cigarette I looked around the community that we called home. Better than the prison, but not as good as Alexandria. As much as I felt out of place there, I was finally able to settle in. I don't know why the people there were afraid of me, but they were. The wall I kept around me didn't help. Getting too close to people only hurt, but with Angel, I didn't have any choice.

She just drew me to her and there was no turning back once I realized that she felt the same. She's the best damn thing that ever happened to me. Never wanted to fall in love, hell I never even knew what that was. Angel showed me and I ain't never gonna let her go. I know I sound like a damn romance novel, but I ain't never gonna love anyone else like I love my Angel.

I heard a door open and saw her stepping outside our trailer. I could tell she was still sleepy from her nap. Her eyes caught mine and we both smiled. I couldn't help it, she always made me feel happy and that ain't anything I ever thought I'd be.

"Hey you," she said to me.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, it was as much as killing him as it was knowing you were in that type of danger. I can't lose you, Daryl." Angel just melted into my arms.

And I couldn't lose her either. No one had ever meant as much to me as she did. That's when I reached into the back pocket of my pants and felt the box. I had been waiting for the right time to give her the necklace. Now was it.

I pulled it out and handed it to her. "Found this a little while back."

Angel's eyes got big as she looked at the velvet box in my hands and then back up at me. "A present? You got me a present?"

"Well, it wasn't like I bought it or nuthin'." Great, now I was getting embarrassed. Would she just open the damn thing?

"You are too damn cute when you get this way," she teased.

"Just open the fuckin' box," I growled. I completely suck at romance, that's for sure.

I watched Angel finally lift the lid. Her mouth dropped open and her perfect amethyst eyes quickly met mine before dropping back down to the box.

"Oh my God, Daryl. It's beautiful…perfect and I love it. Oh God, I love it." She pulled the necklace out of the box and held it in her hand. "Put it on me please?"

I took it from her and Angel presented her back to me. I put the necklace over her head and my nervous fingers fumbled a few items before I could get the catch open. When she turned around the diamond hung just at the top of the curve of her breasts. It looked as perfect as she was.

"I love it almost as much as I love you," she told me.

I knew she did, but not nearly as much as I love her. I swept her up into my arms. Angel giggled as I carried her back to the trailer we called home. It was time for some lovin' Angel and Daryl style. The old trailer was gonna be rockin' and she would be cryin' out my name for everyone to hear. I simply didn't care. Being with the only woman I would ever love was the only thing I cared about. It took me almost dying to find her, but she was the only one I would ever want and I wanted the world to know.

The world we lived in was so fucked up with the dead walking around and the living almost more dangerous than the dead. Laws meant nothing and we did whatever we needed to survive. But in all this, my life couldn't be any better. The only thing I would change was to bring back the people we had lost…Glenn, Abraham, Tara, Andrea, T-Dog, Hershel, Beth, Shane, Merle and all of the others. Otherwise, this was the life I wanted. Here…now surviving day to day with Angel by my side. It took me a long time to find her and I wasn't even looking for her or for love. Love had hurt me my entire life, so why did I want anything to do with it? Why? Because it made me happy for the first time in my sorry life.

I smiled. I laughed. I loved. All because of the angel that dropped into my life. Jessie…my Angel…showed me that I could be loved. That I wasn't the loser I was told I was my whole life. I was somebody. Someone people depended on and trusted. I was Daryl Dixon. And for once in my life I was proud of who I was. Thank you, Angel.

 **The End.**

 **A/N - Thank you to everyone that has been reading Angel. this is my last story I will post on this website. I just do not get enough reads on here to make it worth my while. Thank you especially to Walking Addicted/Addiction for following me through every story and your recent comments. They are much appreciated. You can find me on Wattpad under the same ID.**

 **WalkerWitch...Lori**


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